The Black Sail before Troy
by danger-natnat
Summary: BriseisAchilles. Briseis was captured by the Greeks,and Achilles,the cold-hearted warrior,found himself attracted by this priestess. One gains when he loses,this is the way life is. The couple had gained much, yet they lost so much in their love. complete
1. Decision

Hi guys. I am quite new to this. This is the first fanfic I write. So please review to show your support. Thanks!! ;)  
  
I've watched the movie and there are many things in it that's different from the Iliad. I'm going to do my best to fix it but stick to the movie at the same time. Okay, I'm going to start the story right now......  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Troy or the book Iliad.  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
_Decide._ Briseis was a girl with chestnut brown hair and dazzling hazel eyes. She was sitting on the window sill in the palace, in the ancient city town of Eetion called Thebe. Slowly, she pulled open the curtains and it reviewed the night scene of the city. She leaned out of the window, letting the wind brush her soft curls. Turning her head to her left, Briseis could see Troy. The great city where her cousins lived.  
  
Briseis sighed heavily. When Paris and Hector were back from Sparta for the peace treaty, she might be another Briseis, different from the one then. _Yes, I may go to Chryses tomorrow, and tell him I will follow his footsteps, and serve the Archer God Apollo, thought Briseis. But how about my dead parents? He had always wanted me to get married in the old days... _Briseis had been having a hard time in deciding her path those days. Torn between whether marrying a man and loved him with all her heart, or wearing the virgin robes of a priestess. But the day's events had told her to do it, to be a priestess.  
  
But that day, a young man, called Sinon, had forced her cousin, as close as sisters, called Chryseis, to marry him. Of course, this Sinon had been refused by Chryseis in her beauty. And Sinon, in his rage and disappointment, had tried to rape Chryseis. She was fortunate that his father, Chryses, was nearby and had saved her.  
  
Briseis was always a very beautiful girl. Even prettier than Chryseis. Men had always wooed her, asking for her love. Many of them said, 'Briseis, looking at you, I can never imagine how Helen the Fair Cheeks look like.' Briseis had always smiled and thanked them politely.  
  
_Despite that they could be very sweet and romantic, men are wild and uncontrollable. How could I find someone like my cousins, Hector and Paris?  
_  
A sudden knock on the door had drove Briseis away from the window sill to open the hard rosewood door. Outside stood Chryseis in a blue nightgown. Her face was tear-strained.  
  
'What is it, my dear cousin? Have you been thinking of the events this afternoon?' Briseis asked softly.  
  
Chryseis nodded, letting another tear slowly made its way down her cheek. Briseis embraced her, and led her to the bed. Chryseis seldomly cried, and this worried her. Briseis had never seen Chryseis as sad as this.  
  
'Sit down, is there any other things you want tell me?' Briseis added, thinking very hard of ways to comfort her friend.  
  
Chryseis shook her head bitterly, and said, merely in a whisper, 'No, I just want some comfort.'  
  
Briseis embraced her cousin. 'I know it's a hard time for you. But you must be optimistic yourself, because no one can really help you. All we can do is protect and give you comforting words. But the wound is in your heart. And there is no way of healing it unless you can do it yourself...'  
  
_I'll be a priestess. I'll announce it in the morning. I'll tell Uncle Priam tomorrow. No one can stop me from wearing the virgin robes.  
_  
Briseis hesitated, not sure if she could tell Chryseis then. 'Chryseis....' Briseis continued, 'I've decided to become a priestess, to follow your father's footsteps. I'll announce it tomorrow.'  
  
Chryseis' eyes widened, and said, 'No, my dear cousin! Your dead father, Uncle Briseus, would never have wanted you to do this! Sure you will disappoint him! As well as Uncle Priam! He treated you as his daughter, and he wants you to be married, to have a happy family.'  
  
Briseis shook her head stubbornly and said, 'I am sure Uncle Priam will respect my decision, as well as cousins Hector and Paris. Nothing is stopping me from being a priestess, to serve the mighty Apollo.' Chryseis, seeing her cousin's stubbornness, had said no more to stop her, and just nodded meekly.  
  
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Hey, how is that? Please tell me. And here's something to add...  
  
Briseus was Briseis' father. [I've decided to make him dead in this story, as I am not sure he was dead or not...].  
  
There's a girl called Chryseis, who was also captured by the Greeks when Briseis was captured. Chryseis was the priest of Apollo, Chryses' daughter. [Remember this! This is important!].  
  
In the story, Briseis did belong to the town of Eetion called Thebe....... She and Troy had no connections, but I decide to make them cousins, only living in two cities, to make it more complicated. 


	2. The right path?

Hey, it's me again; did you enjoy the first chapter? I'm sure you're waiting for the coming of Achilles. I'm so sorry but he'll not be here until at least the third to fourth chapter......  
  
So here it goes....  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. Chapter 2  
  
'Uncle Chryses! Uncle Chryses!' Briseis had just got off from bed not long ago, and was on her way to breakfast. She thought it was fortunate that she could meet the priest before breakfast, she always babbled less when she was just risen. _This could be easier than I thought it was, at least I don't need to face the other royalties at the breakfast table...  
_  
Chryses turned around, amused that Briseis looked so free that morning, when she had always looked troubled and confused those days.  
  
'Salutations to you. What is it my dear? I can see that your troubles had gone in a night's time.' The old wise man said, a trace of smile playing on his lips.  
  
'Good morning Uncle Chryses.' Briseis greeted. Suddenly she hesitated. Could she give up all the things she had now? Was she becoming a priestess just to hide from the reality that she doesn't trust the men other than her kinsmen? This was the last chance to back off. Now she was afraid she could not be a faithful priestess... _No, I can. I am always faithful to the God I was taught to worship since I was born. I always can._  
  
'Yes, my dear?' The old man asked again patiently.  
  
'Uncle, after last night's thinking, I.... I think I'm going to follow the footsteps of yours. I want to be a priestess, to wear the virgin robes in the temple of Apollo; I want to serve the Sun God Apollo.' Briseis said without pausing, making her breathless.  
  
Realization came to Chryses' eyes, he smiled, and his old, worn face wrinkled. 'My dear child, I think not. I know why you have chosen this path. You have seen what had happened to my daughter yesterday, and I believe you are afraid of men, am I right?'  
  
Briseis blushed immediately, feeling her face grew hotter and hotter every second. Her uncle was very wise. There was no denial about that.  
  
'No, I would not for the world afraid of men.' Briseis lied immediately, maybe it was too quick to lie. But whether it was her bad timing for answering this question, or was that the intelligent of Chryses, it didn't matter. Chryses knew she was lying anyway.  
  
'My dear, dear niece. There's no point of denying. You know it's the truth. I'm sure my brother would never like you to take this path, because you have to give up everything. Luxurious life, marriage, loves, and so on. You'll live in the temple, and it's not as comfortable as you think. You have to rise very early, and you are still young, life in the temple could be very boring to you.' Chryses paused for a moment, awaiting his niece's reactions. When Briseis remained silent, he added, 'make your decision, and tell me about it after breakfast. Because, even me, sometimes I find the life in temple a bit boring.' With this he winked and walked towards the dining hall, leaving Briseis standing there gaping at him.  
  
At breakfast, Briseis found Chryseis kept shooting glances at her, and she decided not to pay attention to those meaningful looks from her cousin. She had to decide her future herself.  
  
But still, Briseis decided that nothing could stop her from being a priestess. When breakfast was over, Briseis rose from the table immediately, (to evade from Chryseis) and dragged her uncle outside.  
  
Once outside, the old man said, 'Ah, so I see you have decided. Your decision remains the same, I assume?'  
  
_My uncle does know me..._  
  
Briseis nodded, and her uncle told her to follow him to the temple. It was located outside the city, on the coast below Troy. It was a sunny day, and Briseis enjoyed the sunlight playing on her fair skin. The chariot jiggled and joggled on the beach. As they reached the steps of the temple, Chryses said to her, 'Briseis, I know you have been in this temple many times, but this time, there is no way of returning to the past. If you do, you may be punished by the mighty Apollo himself.' Briseis nodded and followed him into the temple.  
  
It was very cool inside. Some priests were already praying. Briseis greeted them and went into the room behind a golden statue of the Sun God, which her uncle had entered. The old man threw her the white robe, made of silk, and said, 'Briseis, after you have put on this robe, there can be no regret. Now, suit yourself. And later you will go to Troy, and inform my brother Priam about this.' Briseis nodded thanks and Chryses left the room.  
  
Briseis walked over to the window, only seeing a ship had landed on the beach before her, and two chariots were drawing nearer and nearer to the Scaean Gate, the only entrance to Troy. Briseis' heart skipped with excitement. _Hector and Paris are back!_ She changed quickly and raced out of the temple. Chryses' chariot were at the entrance of the temple, waiting for her.  
  
In the city she drove, by means of the skills the Amazons had taught her. The Amazons were a tribe of women warriors who lived near Troy, in the lands watered by the river Thermodon. The queen of the Amazons, Penthesilea, together with her sister, Hoppolyta, had taught Briseis the skills for driving when she was young.  
  
Many flowers were in her path, Briseis was sure that Hector and Paris were already in the palace. Missing her cousins, Briseis drove even faster towards the palace, ignoring the attention she was receiving from the young men of Troy.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................................................. Now please be patient. The third chapter is coming soon. Please, give me some advice, of how to improve this story.....  
  
Thanks so much. 


	3. Captured

Hi! I've decided Achilles will be coming this chapter. So sit back and enjoy!

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Chapter 3  
  
'So, are you sure this is the right path for you?' said King Priam, in the palace. Briseis had just informed him of her being a priestess. The old man sighed, and continued, 'anyway, there's no way of returning now. Am I right?' Briseis nodded tentatively, not sure about what her uncle's reactions might be. But instead of disappointment, the old king smiled. 'I see that the young men in Troy will be very disappointed.' When Priam saw his niece was bewildered by his words, he told her to meet her cousins outside. Leaving himself in the room with his own thoughts (about the destruction Helen would bring, of course.).  
  
So Briseis obeyed, and went outside to meet Hector and Paris.  
  
Paris was the first one greeted by her. He gave her a bear hug, and praised, 'Briseis, my lovely cousin, your beauty grows with each new day.' Briseis smiled and thanked him.  
  
'Briseis!' this time was Hector calling. She smiled and hugged him warmly, as she could see there was worry written over her dear cousin's face. Hector studied her robe. 'Oh, servant of Apollo now?' he said, his expression now replaced by surprised.  
  
King Priam chose this moment to walk into the scene. 'Young men in Troy will be devastated when they find out our dear Briseis has chosen the virgin robes.' The group laughed.  
  
'Briseis, dear cousin, I want you to meet someone.' Paris said a bit shyly. It was unusual for him to be shy. Briseis knew at the moment that this person Paris wanted her to meet would not be anyone who could do good to Troy. A woman slowly stepped forward from behind Paris and nodded to Briseis. 'Briseis, she is Helen of... of... Troy.'  
  
Helen! Helen the Fair Cheeks! Yes. She knew it the moment she saw Helen. Helen's beauty was breathtaking. There was no excuse for Paris falling for this woman. Briseis smiled and welcomed this woman, 'Helen, welcome to Troy. You will always find peace in this city.' Briseis kept on smiling. But she knew her smile would look unnatural on her face as realization came to her: Helen belonged to Sparta. She was King Menelaus' wife...  
  
Paris and Helen walked away, as Paris wanted to introduce Helen to many others.  
  
Briseis turned to Hector immediately, and whispered anxiously, 'Is that Helen the Fair Cheeks? Is she not Queen Helen of Sparta? Why is she here? She would bring only destruction to the city!'  
  
Hector nodded, his brows furrowed. 'I didn't even know until we were near to the coast of Troy. I had thought of shipping her back to Sparta, but I could not let my brother die.' Hector said calmly, wanting to soothe the anxiousness of Briseis. 'But you need not worry about this. I can handle it.' He smiled at her, and continued, 'now go back to the temple of Apollo and pray for the sake of Troy.'  
  
Then Briseis drove back to the temple slowly, still worried, uncertain of the path lying in front of her. In the next few days, she prayed, for the sake of Troy and her own city, Thebe. And she hardly found that the life in temple was boring. Yes, the life in temple was very plain, but when she prayed, she would forget about everything, except for the sake of Troy and Thebe.  
  
This day, when she was praying with the priest, she heard a strange bell. Although it was strange, she recognized it at once. It was the warning bell of Troy. She had once heard it when she was in the palace of Thebe, when Troy was attacked by another country.  
  
She tensed and she could hear the Trojans were hurrying back into the city of Troy, while the Trojan soldiers were preparing to defend the city. She looked out from the back of the temple, and she could see there were many ships heading to the coast, still quite far away. But she was sure there were more than a thousand of them. If the war should start, she knew Troy would never win the war.  
  
_Perhaps with the help of Thebe, Troy would manage to drive the Greeks away from the city.  
_  
Sure the Greeks had already came in sight of the coast, as they were making a race of it, she could see the rowers quickening the oar beat, thrusting their ships through the water, each eager to come first to land. The race was won by one ship which stands out within the whole thousands of ships, as this ship had a black sail. She saw that the Trojan warriors were already well-prepared for the great war-host.  
  
'Lady, I think we should hide.' Said one of the priests.  
  
Briseis looked around her. The temple was very simple, there wasn't any place to hide. The searched the temple again, and could not find Chryses. 'Where is Uncle Chryses?' she asked, as worry took over her.  
  
'Lady, he is sick today. He had stayed in the city of Thebe. And now stop worrying about your uncle. Please, you must hide.' Said the old priest.  
  
_You must hide._ What does that mean? Will the priest hide too? 'What does this mean? I must hide? How about you?' Briseis demanded, not wanting to leave the priest in danger.  
  
The priest reached statue, and revealed a hiding spot. The hiding spot was small, and told Briseis to hide. Briseis shook her head, and said, 'Please, you must hide, tell Hector to save me. As I know the Greeks would not kill me.' She pushed the oldest man of the temple into the hiding spot, and pushed the trapdoor shut.  
  
An unfamiliar strong voice was suddenly heard, 'Take what you want from the temple.' And now, the Greeks, all in black armors, were flooding into the temple. Taking the gold and everything that was worth of gold. The two priests had tried to stop them, screaming about how they would offend the Sun God, but the Greeks paid no attention to them. And with a flash of light from the sword of the Greeks, the two priests were dead.  
  
Briseis screamed, and rushed to the dead bodies of the priests. She was furious. The priests were unarmed, and would do no harm to anyone. Why do they have to kill them? Why were they so cruel?  
  
'May the Sun God Apollo punish you all!' Briseis yelled with all her strength.  
  
Silence took over the temple, and the Greeks had stopped the sacking of the temple for a moment.  
  
A Greek soldier grabbed her wrists, and laughed out loud, 'Look, this little beautiful priestess is telling her god to punish us. What should be her punishment?' Briseis struggled hard, trying to free herself.  
  
Another Greek soldier suggested slyly, 'I see we take her right here...'  
  
Another Greek soldier with very pale blue eyes said, 'No, we take her to Achilles. He leads us to this victory today. This priestess is very good- looking, she is a good war prize for him.'  
  
The Greeks quieted immediately, and seemed to obey this blue-eyed soldier.  
  
So, the Greeks grabbed her by her arms and started to head to the ships. Briseis kicked all the way to the Greek camp, struggling with all her strength to free herself from the firm grips of the Greeks. 'You should not behave like this in front of Achilles,' said the blue-eyed Greek soldier, 'Achilles is not a patient warrior.'  
  
Briseis was tied to a post of a tent, which no doubt, belonged to none other than the great warrior Achilles himself. She was tied to a post, and the blood-strained material was very irritating. The Greeks had tied her so tight that she thought her hand had gone numb.  
  
'Stay here little girl. Achilles will be back soon.'  
  
Once the Greeks were out of the tent, Briseis tried to wiggle her hand free. But the struggle only made her wrists raw and scratched. But the tie was a bit loosened, and she felt better then.  
  
Briseis closed her eyes and rested for a moment. It was then she realized that she had never been so tired. She let her eyes drooped slowly and drifted into a slumber...  
  
'My lord,' The voice of the blue-eyed Greek warrior woke her up with a start. 'I've got something to show you.'  
  
Briseis' eyes popped open. She looked up and saw a man with blond hair poking his head into the tent, looking at her. She looked away immediately.  
  
'Our men found her in the temple, I thought she will amuse you.' The blue- eyed Greek said again, and the unknown man, that she was sure he was Achilles, walked into the tent.  
  
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Now, is this chapter good? Please review!


	4. Fearless

Hey! Thanks for the reviews! Firien Inuyasha, I have changed the summary as you have advice me to. DarkFallenAngel, thank for informing me about the Fanficion Police!  
  
So, this is chapter 4...  
  
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Chapter 4  
  
Achilles glanced at Briseis, and took in her image. He walked over to the washbasin, and washed his face, studying the girl's face in his mind. With only one glance, her face was already clearly printed in his mind.  
  
She was a very beautiful girl. She had soft silky chestnut-brown hair which curls went tumbling down her shoulders loosely. Even she should have struggled and fought the Greek soldiers (at least she tried to), her hair did not seemed a bit tangled or messed. Her eyes were almond shaped, under the long, thick lashes, her orbs had the colour of hazelnut. Her lips looked full and soft, very kissable. Despite her beauty, Achilles found that there was a natural elegance in her eyes that he found her very attractive.  
  
'What's your name,' asked the warrior, still splashing water to his face.  
  
Briseis decided not to answer him. _He had no right to know my name. He had killed too much. Too many men had died under his sword._ Suddenly, the vision of the dead priests overtook her mind, and she felt she was boiling with rage.  
  
'You killed Apollo's priests. They are just men which are unarmed, and would never hurt anyone. And you've killed them.' Briseis blurted out, not caring what the man's reactions might be.  
  
'I didn't killed them. I only kill men who fight for their countries. Not priest,' it was said calmly. Yet without any emotions.  
  
'Then your men did.' Briseis stated shortly. Then she added, in a mutter, 'The Archer God Apollo will have his vengeance...'  
  
She had never expected her words to be heard, but surprisingly, Achilles heard them. He smirked and said, in a very challenging tone, 'Then what is he waiting for?'  
  
Briseis reddened with anger. Achilles had mocked her god. 'For the right time to strike!' She snapped, not noticing the amused expression of Achilles.  
  
Achilles smirked, and said arrogantly, 'I think your god is afraid of me...' Briseis glared at the fearless warrior, daring him to say more. To her surprise, he continued, 'If your god is having his vengeance, then where is he?'  
  
'You are nothing but a killer. Don't you dare mock the Gods!' If Briseis had not been tied, she was sure she would have jumped up and slapped him hard on the face.  
  
'I know more about the gods then any of the priests in your temple... I have seen them.' He said softly.  
  
Briseis remained silent. She did not know why, but this man in front of her made her feel very uncomfortable. He didn't seemed to be like most warrior at all. He seemed...more intelligent than most of them.  
  
Achilles bent down to study the girl carefully. This girl did not seem to be the least afraid of him, and it shocked him. 'What's your name again?' he asked, wanting to know the brave girl's name. When Briseis didn't answer, he said, 'even a priestess of Apollo should have a name.'  
  
Briseis continued to ignore him, she held her head high, but not looking at him.  
  
_Briseis, you are a royalty, and you should always be proud of it. Show anyone that you are proud to be a royalty.  
  
_'You are royalty, aren't you?' Achilles' voice drew her attention to him. 'I can see that you've spent years talking down to men...' He smiled, took a lock of her hair, and sniff in the smell of her. 'Definite royalty.' He reached for a dagger near him, and cut the ties, freeing her hands.  
  
Briseis knew she should not be telling Achilles her name, but it was natural for thanking him. So she gulped and told him her name.  
  
'Tell me, Briseis,' said Achilles, and Briseis found her vision focused on his face the first time since he entered the tent. His golden locks were of shoulder length, the colour was very interesting. Briseis had never seen her people with golden locks.  
  
'Are you afraid?' Achilles continued, not quite aware that Briseis had started to blush when she studied his eyes. Briseis had seen different people's eyes in her life, but Achilles' seemed so...different.  
  
_Sky blue? Not quite. The colour is paler... Sapphire._ Briseis decided. They somehow seemed mesmerizing, but they held a type of callousness and calm which made her feel queasy when she looked at them.  
  
Briseis nearly blurted out to him that she was very frightened, being inside her enemies' camp. But suddenly she remembered what Hector said to her when she was young, so young that the memory was blurry and indistinct: _Never let anyone knows that you are frightened, let alone your enemies.  
_  
Hectors words had filled her heart with courage. Hector had always been with her when she needed help. Even his words had helped her to regain her courage. Briseis held her head high, and said, 'Should I be?'  
  
The blue-eyed warrior decided to enter the tent at this moment, easing Briseis' nervous and bring the words, 'My lord, King Agamemnon is summoning you.'  
  
'He can wait.' Achilles stated plainly, 'You fought well today, Eudorus.' Briseis noticed that all the way he was talking, he still stared at her...  
  
_So, that blue-eyed Greek's name is Eudorus...  
_  
Eudorus smiled kindly at Briseis, and with the last words of 'Thank you, my lord.' He left the tent.  
  
'Why are you here? I'm sure you are not coming for Helen the Fair Cheeks. You are not fighting for Agamemnon, the High King.'  
  
'What do men want? I'm sure you know.' Achilles said, suddenly looking upwards, 'I just want more....'

'There is no need to be afraid as long as you stay in my tent, Briseis. You're the only Trojan that can hear me saying this.' With this he stood, grabbed his sword and headed for the entrance of the tent.  
  
Before he reached the flaps, he turned, and smiled faintly at Briseis. 'You have my word.'  
  
Briseis sat there, unable to move although she was already freed by Achilles. She was too involved in her own thoughts: This Achilles didn't seem to be as cruel as she had learnt from the rumours. Instead, judging from the way he looked at her (and most importantly had freed her), she found him to be quite caring. He didn't seem to be the cold-blooded murderer who wouldn't even blink when killing at all.  
  
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That's how I decided to end the chapter! How do you feel about this? Do tell me.


	5. Achilles' Curse

Hey! Thanks again for the reviews! I promise I will update regularly.  
  
Now here's your favourite chapter 5...  
  
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Chapter 5  
  
After Achilles had left, and Briseis had finished her judging of what kind of person Achilles was (which she could not draw a conclusion to), she studied the tent carefully.  
  
It was a big tent. At least she thought it was. And the tent was neat. There was a great bed, covered with white fur. It seemed very comfortable. And it was very different from the beds they have in the palace of Thebe. Briseis wondered why Achilles would need such a great bed. Although he was very tall, he was not fat..... Briseis laughed at herself. No warrior was fat.  
  
She continued the exploration of the tent with her hazel eyes. There was a rack, where all the great warrior's armors and weapons were held. It had occupied a lot of space, she noticed. She had always hated violence, and she didn't understand why men always had to settle disputes by fighting, which led to battle and war. Fighting, to her, was always a ignorant way to solve problems.  
  
_Thud._  
  
Briseis' heart tensed as soon as she heard the footstep. Whose footstep could it be? Had Hector come to her rescue? Maybe the old priest had told Hector that Briseis was captured by the Greeks, and he decided to take action. He should know the way better than everyone. He was the Trojan prince after all.  
  
But she was proved to be wrong when a Greek soldier stepped through the flaps into the tent. Briseis stood and stepped back, afraid when another Greek soldier had stepped into the tent.  
  
The two soldiers seemed to stare at her for a moment, and one said, 'sure the girl is the one the High King is telling us to bring.' They are both young, and they seemed to be very strong. But Briseis showed no sign of fear. She would never show physically strong men her fear.  
  
However, she was screaming with fear inside her mind. Her eyes darted all over the tent, thinking of a way to escape from the two soldiers.  
  
No way of escaping.  
  
She was grabbed by the arms again the second time in the day by Greek soldiers. Though she learnt from the previous experience that she could never fight the Greeks, she still kicked all the way with every ounce of her strain towards wherever the two Greeks were taking her to.  
  
She was sure they were taking her to Agamemnon, the King of Kings, as they stopped in front of a ship, which was carved aristocratically. Three of them stood there, on the deck outside the entrance which very likely, led to the meeting hall of the Greeks.  
  
'A great victory was won today.' Said a voice which Briseis didn't recognize. But judging by the pleased, yet greedy tone of the speaker, she knew the voice came from none other that the High King Agamemnon himself. 'But that victory is not yours. Kings did not kneel to Achilles.'  
  
'Perhaps the King is too far behind to see, the soldiers won the battle.' Said another voice which Briseis recognized, Achilles'. Judging from the speech, Briseis knew the two were having an argument.  
  
Sure Achilles' word had angered Agamemnon. Because when Agamemnon spoke again, his voice was astoundingly infuriated, 'history remembers kings, not soldiers.' He paused for a moment, and Briseis heard him got up and paced, towards Achilles, no doubt.  
  
'Tomorrow I'll batter down the gates of Troy. I'll build monuments of victory over every islands of Greece. I'll carve Agamemnon in the stone.' Agamemnon said heatedly.  
  
But Achilles was not the least taken aback by the little tirade of Agamemnon. Instead, he said repulsively, 'be careful, King of Kings, first you need victory.'  
  
Agamemnon must have paced again, only lighter, as Briseis noticed his voice was projected in a different position when he spoke again, and yet she hadn't noticed his footsteps. 'Your men sacked the temple of Apollo, yes?'  
  
Achilles replied smoothly, in his calm and deep voice, 'you want gold? Take it. It is my gift, to honour your courage. Take what you wish.'  
  
'I already have,' said Agamemnon smugly. He called for his guards and the two Greek soldiers ushered her inside the hall, still holding her arms firmly. Briseis started to release herself from their grips again, knowing Achilles was there and felt more courageous. She looked at Agamemnon. She saw him at last. His greedy, scandalizing voice suited his face flawlessly. And the vicious, cunning man spoke again, 'Spoils of war...'  
  
Achilles' expression twitched from calm to irate immediately, and with an agitated voice, stated, 'no arguments brothers,' He looked down at the floor, deciding if it was a wise action to fight for Briseis or not. 'But if you don't release her, you'll never see home again.' Briseis was looking at him intensely, with a warning look in her eyes. But Achilles paid no heed to the look of her, 'decide.'  
  
Wasting no time, Agamemnon cried out to his guards, and the soldiers came rushing in. Achilles wasted no time also, and unsheathed his sword from his back at once, readied to fight. Briseis' heart raced at once. If another fight should start, these Greek soldiers had no chance of winning the flaxen-haired warrior in front of them. And losing the fight meant death to them.  
  
Vision of the dead priests invaded her mind again. And at the moment, she could only think of one word that could describe death: horrendous.  
  
_If these men have to die, it's my entire fault. They have not sinned. They are just following the orders given by this dim-witted king without a heart.  
_  
The thought of these men dying for her made Briseis filled with guilt and sorrow, so, she gathered her strength and yelled out, 'Stop!'  
  
It was the second time in the day that she found herself could silence a group of Greek soldiers, and she was quite astonished. She looked at the Greek soldiers, and, in a very menacing way, said, 'too many men have died today.' She then looked at Achilles, and said, 'If killing is your only talent, that's your curse.' She paused for a moment, catching her breath, and continued, 'I don't want anyone dying for me.'  
  
Achilles pondered over the words of Briseis. Of course, he could disregard them and killed the soldiers; but a part of him wanted to obey her. But there was no time for him to think it over again. Before he could make his decision, Agamemnon sneered, 'well...well. The mighty Achilles silenced by a slave girl...'  
  
Agamemnon walked over to Briseis, and played with a lock of her beautiful hair. 'I'll have her give me a bath tonight. And then...who knows....' As Briseis heard this, she felt her stomach churned with disgust.  
  
'You sack of wine!' Achilles yelled, outraged. 'Before my time is done, I will look down upon your corpse and smile.' Said him frostily. After his words was said, Achilles took one look at Briseis and strolled out of the tent.  
  
'Tie her up, and bring her to the lower deck.' Agamemnon demanded. He turned to Briseis, and said slyly, 'you're a useful pretty thing, aren't you? Don't worry, I won't take you, although it will be a loss. Taking you means I'm going to die in Achilles' hands. No. I'll make use of you wisely.'  
  
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How's that? I've spent a lot of time in this chapter. Hope you like it. I'll update as soon as possible.

As for chilled-acid, I think you'll have to do the bold and italics in the document manager in the FF net. After you have uploaded your document, you have to edit it on the web. And thanks for the reviews!!!


	6. Briseis' challenge

Hey. Let's not waste your time in reading your newest, and my favourite  
  
chapter 6.....  
  
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Chapter 6 Briseis was brought to the lower deck of Agamemnon's tremendous ship, into a very dark and dusty room. The guards threw her hardly on the wooden floor and left the room, locking the door, while they were talking about the mighty warriors those days.  
  
Briseis moaned a bit, and sat up slowly, regaining her consciousness. She looked around. She was in a small, undersized storage room for wine and other kinds of drinks. There were bottles of them which came in large timber boxes. Briseis looked at the wine and drinks. Well, at least I have got something to drink when I am thirsty...  
  
Briseis explored the room intimately in the dark. The room was very stuffy, that made her feel hot and airless. She paid distinct attention to everything and details in the small room. There were no windows on the lower deck, and the door was locked. There was no way of escaping.  
  
She sat down gradually, knowing that there was nothing she could do to save herself then. She was imprisoned in the enemies' camp. She closed her eyes, exhausted by the events happened in the day. She had been captured, had watched the death of the priests of Apollo, and had met the handsome and generous Achilles, who was the history's greatest warrior.  
  
She was different now. So different then before, when she was a royalty, living in the palace of Thebe. She was now a captive instead of a royalty; she had experienced the death of the priests; and she knew what was deceitfulness and scheming.  
  
_Oh mighty Apollo, why are you doing this to me?  
  
_She wondered if Chryseis was worrying about her. They were cousins, but in Briseis' heart, Chryseis and her was more than cousins. They were sisters. Chryseis could be missing Briseis, but yet she could do nothing to help Briseis to escape from the imprisonment.  
  
_'When the Gods are not helping you, you must help yourself...'_ Hector's words flashed through her mind again. Would Hector save her? The probability was less than likely. Hector could never find his way in the enemies' camp, with all the guards and soldiers all around...  
  
Regret suddenly took over her when she thought of what happened just now. She should have let Achilles to kill the men, and take her back to his tent safely. And to Achilles' anger, he might also kill Agamemnon too... That would be a great advantage for her country! And Hector's safety would not be threatened. Andromache would not need to worry about Astyanax loosing a father so young... Maybe Achilles would save her. He had been willing to fight for her... But when Briseis replayed the memory over and over in her thoughts again, she knew Achilles would not come and save her. He had tried to fight for her because he was just a conceited, proud and arrogant warrior that could not allow himself to be defeated, and he just wanted her back because she was his war prize.  
  
But seeing other men die for her was not what Briseis wanted to see. The priests had always taught her to be merciful. Every man had his right to live, even if they had sinned.  
  
Confusion and uncertainty took over Briseis, and she felt a lone tear slid down her fair cheeks at a snail's pace. She wanted to wipe it away, but her energy was drained, she was so tired that she didn't want to move at all...... she let drowsiness took over her and drifted into a deep sleep.  
  
When Briseis awoke and opened her eyes again, she saw streaks of sunlight streaming through the gaps between wooden planks in the lower deck of the ship. Briseis was sure it was in the morning, as sunlight would not be streaming into the dark room if the sun was not located in the east.  
  
It was remarkably quiet outside, so quiet that she was sure all the Greeks were not in the camp. But suddenly there was a voice that Briseis could recognize without a doubt—Achilles', 'Come on. I won't want to miss the defeat of Agamemnon who has the pea-sized brain.'  
  
Briseis peeked through the thin gap of the planks, and caught a glimpse of Achilles' golden hair, already far away from her location. Briseis sat down again and started to think at once. So, Achilles was not fighting, was it because of her, being held by Agamemnon? Definitely. She knew that Achilles was a self-righteous person.  
  
Briseis' stomach rumbled so loudly that she was surprised by the volume of sound that could be produced by her stomach. She was starving.  
  
She wondered if Agamemnon would give her food, or just leave her there, to die in the small and dark room for storage. But he had said he would make use of her....wisely. That meant that she was still useful to him at the moment, and she would be fed.  
  
But Briseis' presumption was proven wrong when she had not given food for the whole day.  
  
So she sat there, growing weaker and weaker every moment, until the door opened and the same guards grabbed her by the arms again and ushered her out of the room.  
  
Briseis was weak, so she wasted no energy. She didn't struggle, but relaxed herself in their firm and tight grips, letting them dragged her to see the High King again.  
  
But the guards did not take her to Agamemnon. Instead, they threw her out of the ship into a crowd of Greek soldiers.  
  
Briseis groaned in pain, getting up from the soft sand and glanced around. Judging by the grim expression written all over their faces, Briseis knew that Achilles had enjoyed himself very much that day, when he had watched the war between Troy and Greece, and seeing Agamemnon's defeat.  
  
The Greeks were looking at her hungrily. One of them jolted towards her, and said with a drunken voice, 'beautiful Trojan damsel...'  
  
Briseis backed away, not wanting the brazen Greek to touch her, but was only grabbed by another lascivious man. Briseis screamed and was thrown to another Greek. They were groping her and touching her unmercifully. Briseis had tried to escape from the strong grips and grabs, but it only resulted in being thrown to the sand harshly and receiving more pitiless comments and insults from the ruthless Greek warriors.  
  
_Oh mighty Apollo, please, have mercy on me and save me from the agony I am suffering from...  
_  
But Briseis knew that to pray now was no use. Apollo was not going to help her. She had to help herself. This was a difficulty Apollo wanted her to overcome by herself. As long she had her last breath, she would fight for her dignity and pride. She would not just lay there on the sand, and wait for them to rape her...  
  
At once, Briseis felt more courageous. She lay on the sand for a moment, very still, trying to regain her composure. When one of the Greeks reached for her, she raised her hand which she had a hard time gathering all the energy from her whole body, and struck his face hard, leaving a stinging red mark on his cheek.  
  
The Greek growled with red rage immediately, and threw Briseis to two of his fellow mates, in which they held her so tight that she could not move a muscle. The enraged Greek turned to the blazing fire, reached out and grabbed an iron brand. The brand was burning, and glowed with a red light.  
  
Briseis shook away her chestnut brown hair that was sticking to her face by the blood and dirt she gained when she was being thrown around by the Greeks. She looked at the brand, and shuddered inwardly. She could never imagine such pain would be brought to her by the mistake of Paris. If Paris had never brought the Spartan Queen to Troy after the peace treaty with Sparta, she would never have suffered.  
  
'Should be taught a lesson, you wench,' the Greek said, holding the burning brand nearer.  
  
Briseis shut her eyes and clenched her jaw, awaiting the excoriating pain to come. 'Afraid now, eh?' said the Greek complacently. He held the brand closer 'Should learn to behave yourself, Trojan whore.'  
  
Briseis bit her lip, not to let the tears of fear and shame to wash her soiled cheeks. She felt so weak and vulnerable, if the two other Greeks were not holding her, she would have fallen to the soft sand which she had once enjoyed her childhood together with her brother-like cousins, Hector, Paris and Chryseis long ago, when there were no worries and the sun shone brightly.  
  
Suddenly the force from the grips of the soldiers disappeared, and Briseis fell to the ground limply. She hit the ground stiffly, and made the shocking discovery that the sand that ought to be soft had made her right arm hurt and bruised so much.  
  
She wondered what had happened... Had the soldier branded the two other Greeks which are holding her by mistake? Or had someone like Hector had come to her rescue? She tried to turn her head to see what was happening, but she was too feeble to do so. When she could merely heard the screaming of Achilles' name from the filthy mouths of the soldiers, she felt she was safe again. She closed her eyes, and rested on the sand quietly, waiting for the god-like Achilles' strong and muscular arms to scoop her up gently and carry her away to somewhere safe.  
  
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Hey! Do you like the chapter? I've had a difficult time writing this chapter!!! X(  
  
Thanks for the reviews! :3 And I promise I'll update soon if you review...... ;)  
  
But the next chapter will be very difficult to write...... oh mighty Apollo, please help me...... 


	7. Do it

Hey! I'm here again......  
  
And sorry for the late update.....  
  
Just enjoy, ok?  
  
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Chapter 7  
  
Briseis smiled in the strong and muscular arms of Achilles. She knew she should not feel this way, she should have fought with all her might to get away from her supposed enemy's arms. However, Briseis could not. She felt so safe in his arms, they were very strong, no doubt, but they were very gentle as well. She felt protected inside his arms, and they shielded her from the cool night breeze.  
  
Briseis moved her head to a more comfortable position, but she did it slowly, not wanting Achilles to know. Bit by bit, she opened her left eye, and stole a speedy glance at Achilles.  
  
Achilles was looking upwards. If Briseis' judgment was right, he was looking at the sky in a very serene way.  
  
_Maybe he was counting the stars.....Would he be that romantic? He does not seem to be the type...  
  
_Briseis' lips curled again. She did not know why she smiled, and she felt silly and childish when doing that. She felt like the whores that always smiled seductively at Paris; or those young ladies (that according to Briseis, had no dignity) who would giggle when Paris walked by.  
  
_Maybe those young women cannot control themselves too....maybe they are just like me.... I shouldn't have despised them....  
_  
'Stop looking at me and turn your head away. You are making me uncomfortable,' stated Achilles bluntly. Briseis felt a blush slowly crept up her cheeks, and she buried her head in Achilles' chest halfheartedly. What a dumb brute..... Sure he doesn't know how to talk to a priestess....  
  
He carried her in silence. Briseis hated silence between two. It had always made her feel awkward. But somehow, the stillness between Achilles and her did not affect her much. Somehow, she could not really understand this kind of stillness between them. It made her feel peaceful.  
  
A cool wind blew, and it brushed the gold locks of Achilles away from his eyes, and he held Briseis tighter. Though she had tuned her head towards his chest, she still glanced sideways at him, and stared into his crystal- clear blue eyes. They could make her drown, and the sight of them, to Briseis, was breathtaking.  
  
Briseis shut her eyes and snuggled closer to his chest when she knew he started to bow his head a little bit to look at her. She would never know that Achilles was slightly blushing when he had asked her not to look at him. And she would never know that Achilles was looking at her goddess-like features (long lashes, kissable lips etc.) when she had shut her eyes tight and snuggled closer to him.  
  
Achilles had reached his tent, and laid Briseis down on his bed gently. Briseis smiled secretly at first. But suddenly, she remembered where she was, and who she was. It was then she slapped herself mentally:  
  
_You are the priestess of Apollo! Furthermore, you are a Trojan, and you are not supposed to feel contented in the arms of your enemy when your countrymen were suffering from death and destruction from the battle!  
_  
Briseis sat up immediately, only found that Achilles was already sitting on the bed beside her, holding a washcloth, and his washbasin in front of her. He leaned a bit forward, wanting to tend her wounds. She moved away a bit, and hoped that Achilles could be subtle, or sensitive enough to get the message that she did not want him to touch her.  
  
But warriors were never known at being either subtle or sensitive.  
  
So, being as dumb as he could be with girls, Achilles tried to clean her face again. Briseis had wanted him to do it, but she had vowed to serve Apollo for her life. So she slapped his hand away with repent and guilt.  
  
Discouraged by Briseis' reactions, and not knowing how fragile Briseis could be, Achilles' threw the washcloth forcefully at her chest. Achilles was very powerful, and the towel went smacking onto Briseis' chest hardly, and it hurt at lot. Briseis, being as childish as she was, and irritated by Achilles' violence, threw the washcloth back to him with all her strength. Achilles lost his patience, and put the washcloth into the washbasin roughly, and the water came splashing out onto the floor.  
  
Achilles turned around and grabbed a salver of food on the table. Wanting to break the awkward silence and tension that was created between the two, Achilles said, 'At least you fought back, and that takes courage.'  
  
Briseis reached for the washcloth in Achilles' washbasin tentatively. She did not look at him, but she replied, 'I was just protecting myself from your horrible countrymen. And that's natural for everyone to do it. Even a dog defends itself when it's attacked.'  
  
Achilles frowned, watching the girl cleaning her face. She should not have said that to him. No one would ever dare to say such things like she did to him. But this girl in front of him showed him no sign of fright. Smirking, he said with a trace of amusement on his lips, 'do you think you're a dog?'  
  
Briseis blushed a bit, and stopped cleaning her wounds. She looked bolt upright at him, and asked him if he was playing with her or not. Achilles raised one of his brows, amused that how could a girl be so naïve. He thought he had never met someone so small and innocent. Briseis finished cleaning herself, and put the washcloth back into the washbasin lightly. She turned to Achilles, and looked at the salver of food which Achilles was holding. Her stomach rumbled noisily. She felt blood flushed onto her cheeks and crimson creeping onto her neck.  
  
Fortunately, Achilles did not notice and continued with his food. The awkward silence of Briseis caught his attention and looked up. Without another word, he asked, 'Why don't you eat? You should be very hungry.' Briseis immediately reached for the food on the salver and stuffed it into her mouth. 'I don't think you've eaten anything in nearly two days.'  
  
Briseis nodded, unable to answer him as her mouth was stuffed with food.  
  
Achilles watched her with amusement again, and with the tenderest voice he had, said, 'Did he hurt you?'  
  
Briseis looked up at him questioningly. Who do you mean?  
  
'Agamemnon.'  
  
Briseis shook her head, and swallowed the last piece of food. 'No. At least.... Not in that way.' She answered timidly. And Achilles smiled at her in a very caring way that Briseis could not stand to look at him. Briseis started to be frightened. She started to be afraid that she would start to like this great warrior, the greatest enemy of her nation. She was also afraid that she would deceive her vows to Apollo. But somehow, although she did not want to worry about this, she could not deny that she was even more terrified that if she really fell in love with this man, he would not love her in return. And Briseis knew that she could never be able to bear the consequences of falling in love with this man. Falling in love with Achilles meant too much for her.  
  
'Why...did you choose this life?' asked Briseis cautiously, not wanting to anger the irascible man.  
  
'What life?' he asked, although he already knew what she wanted to know.  
  
'To be a great warrior. To fight. To kill.' Said Briseis delicately.  
  
'I was born to be a warrior. I was born to kill. I was born to end lives.' Achilles said simply, with no trace of regret in his expressionless voice.  
  
Briseis could not understand this man. He could be so gentle in one minute, but could sound so cruel in another. 'You're doomed.' Briseis said.  
  
'Everything is more beautiful for the doomed,' Achilles said, staring into Briseis' eyes. His lips moved a bit. It seemed like he wanted to add something, but he stopped himself from saying anything.  
  
'Do you think the Gods will want to live to kill?' asked Briseis sarcastically.  
  
'The Gods have nothing to do with my living.' Achilles stated pointedly.  
  
'The Gods have everything to do with it...they-' Briseis was cut off by Achilles' words, 'You have devoted your life to the Gods. But let me tell you. The romance is one-sided.' Achilles leaned towards Briseis, staring intensely into her hazel eyes.  
  
'Let me tell you something you will never learn in your temple. The God envy us.' He paused for a moment to look at the astounded face of Briseis, and the questioning eyes of her. 'They envy us because we are mortal. They envy us because we have the ability to die. In the end that is our one true gift. Every moment is precious because we are doomed.'  
  
Achilles hesitated, and reached out to touch Briseis' face. 'You will never be lovelier than you are now.'  
  
Achilles stood up. And he smirked at the way Briseis was gaping at him, not knowing what to say. He knew he was successful. He knew his words had an indescribable impact on her. He turned and left the tent. 'I think I need to give you some time to think about it. Am I right?' He left the tent without another word.  
  
Briseis sat there, gaping after him. She would not agree with his words, but somehow they seemed to make some sense. Briseis stopped pondering over if his words were right or wrong. There was something more to it that she had to think over with. There was an extremely unusual feeling inside her (which she didn't know where), when Achilles had talked to her softly about the gods, and touched her face. She really wanted to know what that feeling was. She had heard from Adromache about how a person would feel when she fell in love. But surely she wouldn't?!  
  
Briseis looked at her lap, filled with mixed feelings. The touch of Achilles was just... wonderful. It made her feel fantastic. Like her back had suddenly sprouted wings and she could fly up high into the sky towards mount Olympus to tell the God of Love, Aphrodite herself about how light- hearted she was.  
  
But how about Troy and Thebe? Her cousins might be inside the palace, anxiously waiting for her return. Chryseis could be crying, and she might be begging Hector to think of ways to save her. Chryseis might have cried for day and night of her absence. Even after Briseis had devoted herself to the Sun God, Chryseis had always gone to the temple to talk to her. The soreness of her cousin over her was unbearable to her to. Men would be dying because of Achilles, because of the war. What could she do?  
  
And Briseis knew, deep in her heart, that Troy's greatest enemy, Achilles, must be dead.  
  
She felt puzzled, and lay down on the bed slowly, still thinking of what to do. She could never betray her county. No son of Troy or Thebe would betray his nation, let alone her, being a princess and the devoted priestess of the Sun God Apollo. She let herself to forget about her worries, and lay on the bed very still. She had nearly drifted off to sleep when she heard Achilles came back into the tent.  
  
He blew off the candles and lay on the other side of the bed, and drifted off to sleep, as Briseis could hear his breath becoming more and more stable.  
  
Slowly, very discreetly, very quietly, she got off from the bed and search for a weapon that could kill. Maybe a sword or a dagger. It doesn't matter, as long as it could take away the life of this mighty warrior in front of her, lying on the bed in a deep slumber. In the dark, she found a dagger on the floor and walked very slowly towards Achilles.  
  
She loomed over him, and gently pressed the blade on his neck. She hesitated. Could she kill this man? She remained in her position for some time, still pondering if she was doing the right thing...  
  
'Do it.' This sudden voice from Achilles startled her, and she nearly dropped the dagger.  
  
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Hey. Is that exciting? I always love cliff hanging! XD  
  
And for Fanfiction Police, thanks for the advice, I'll try to improve my writings....  
  
Also, please tell me how you think about this chapter. It's great isn't it?? X3  
  
I'm telling you all this because I want reviews.....you should have know it.  
  
Thanks for the great reviews anyway.


	8. Contradictory

Hello my dearest, are you satisfied with the last chapter?  
  
I do hope you are not.  
  
However, I do think it's romantic..... XD yup, it's romantic enough for me.  
  
Okay, here's your long-expected chapter 8  
  
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Chapter 8  
  
Briseis gasped, nearly dropping the dagger that had spilled uncountable men's blood. Briseis was shocked by Achilles' words entirely. She had been sure that Achilles was fast asleep! Besides, she knew she would never be as calm and composed as Achilles when she was at the verge of dying, and she was stunned by Achilles' style of handling dangerous matters.  
  
'Do it,' he repeated, opening his eyes and turned to look at her with his clear pale-blue eyes unhurriedly.  
  
Briseis felt her breath quickened, and she knew she must kill him then, before it was too late to make the move, or never. But could she do it? She had heard that Achilles was immortal, and could never be hurt by any weapon.  
  
She closed her eyes tightly, and prayed to Apollo to give her strength. She had been very aware that this man in front of her was fully unclothed, and her hands were shaking. She pressed the blade on his neck with greater pressure, hoping he would not dare to move. But Achilles had shown no sign of panic, 'Do you really think you can kill me?'  
  
Briseis opened her eyes and looked into his. She blinked, and let the tear which had trapped in her eyes fell, down straightly to Achilles' left cheek.  
  
'Why aren't you afraid?' Briseis asked in a shaky breath which was merely audible.  
  
'Every man dies, there's no difference to me if I die now or I die fifty years later,' Achilles said straightforwardly.  
  
'If I don't kill, you, others will die, my countrymen will die.' Briseis said reassuringly, more than to herself than to Achilles.  
  
'Many.' Achilles assured her.  
  
Briseis tightened her grip. 'I must kill you. For my countrymen; for my cousins; for my love and loyalty for my nation.' 'Then what is stopping you from doing it?' Again, Achilles was as calm and peaceful as before.  
  
Briseis was enthralled by his tranquility, and her motive of killing him was slowly vanishing. No, she could not do it. She could not kill this man in front of her. Even if this man was the greatest obstacle for her country to win the war between Greece and hers.  
  
Achilles grabbed her wrists firmly, and repeated, 'What's stopping you? ' He was starting to loose his endurance.  
  
Briseis rendered speechless, and stared into Achilles' sapphire orbs. Again, she found herself drowning into the pool of clear blue. Frankly, she did not really know what was stopping her. Was she starting to like this man? Did she like this man enough to betray her country? Did she love him? Everything was uncertain to Briseis now. She could not even think. All she could do was to stare at Achilles' eyes, and let herself drown into his eyes deeper and deeper.  
  
Achilles looked at her intensively. Briseis' eyes were clouded with doubt and uncertainty. He gloated inwardly, but his eyes remained emotionless. Perhaps concealing his emotions was his talent, as he had never learnt to hide his feelings from his facial expressions. He was still gripping her wrists firmly, and he did not want to let them go. He was afraid if he let go of it, he could never felt the faint, yet quickened beating of Briseis' pulse again.  
  
No, he decided not to let them go. Even if he had to let them go, he had to do something to keep Briseis to him.  
  
Almost at once, he felt his desire for her burning inside him. Should he take her tonight? But she was so naive and innocent. He would feel guilty to take advantage of her when she was as fragile as a wounded prey of a hunter (you should know that Achilles took no notice of the blade in front of his throat). He felt like he had never wanted anything more than her. His passion for her was so great that he started to loose control. Briseis had driven him mad, and no any other women or girls had done that to him before. That was the time he realized that he must take her right then. He tightened his grip around Briseis' wrists and rolled on top of Briseis, encasing her under his muscular body...  
  
They kept staring into each other's eyes for a long time, and slowly, yet avidly, Achilles bent his head down to match his lips with hers. At the split second when their lips touched, Achilles felt like his heart had stopped beating. Briseis' lips were soft and full, and they were inexperienced. Yet Achilles found that they were the tastiest lips he had ever kissed.  
  
Achilles faintly heard the clattering sound produced when the dagger hit the floor.  
  
Achilles immediately deepened the kiss covetously (not because of Briseis was disarmed by then), wanting to taste more of Briseis. And Briseis returned his kiss tentatively. Knowing she wanted him back, Achilles' tongue roamed every bit of her mouth drastically. Little by little, he made his way down to her neck, and enjoyed the sweetness of her neck, and feeling the rising and falling of her chest as she panted breathlessly.  
  
As Achilles' hand was traveling from the edge of her virgin robes to her thigh, pushing the silky fabric upwards, Briseis could not control herself. Briseis knew his motive of having sex, she was sophisticated enough to know what would be coming next. But she could not even push him away. Every bit of her mind was filled with the passion for him at the moment, and she wanted him. It felt so good to have him touching her this way.  
  
Briseis shifted a bit, and Achilles kissed the other side of her neck tenderly, savoring every bit of her, and had not stopped pulling the robe away from her body until it had gone off and fell on the ground.  
  
'No, don't' Briseis murmured, and tended to cover her body. Achilles kissed the girl softly, and said with the same volume of voice that Briseis had used, 'Stop debating to yourself. You know you want me, so why don't you just enjoy yourself with me?' Briseis did not reply. She moved her hands away from her body, and let Achilles took over all of her body. She entwined her fingers with his golden locks, yet her mind was screaming for her to stop the act at once, and her conscience was telling her that she was the priestess of Apollo, and she should always remain a virgin.  
  
_But the virgin robes had already fallen off...._  
  
But she could not control herself. Her body was moving naturally, and she could do nothing to stop her arms from tangling themselves with Achilles' body.  
  
Surely Achilles had noticed she was uncomforted, and he kissed her lips softly again, and said, in a low husky voice, 'don't worry. I will make it as gentle as possible.'  
  
Briseis nodded vaguely, and relaxed herself under Achilles kisses. She moaned softly into the quiet night and gave up her innocence and chastity to Achilles.  
  
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OMG I don't know how to do it! Never had I written anything like this. I'm quite sure that this is the most challenging, yet worst chapter I had ever written...

But please review and tell me how to improve it.  
  
I really need your reviews for this chapter! 


	9. Achilles' Guest

Gee, thanks for your reviews... Here's my chapter 9 for you...  
  
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Chapter 9  
  
'My Lord,' Eudorus entered the tent, and found himself looking at Achilles, which were in a blue robe. Achilles was holding a cup of wine, and he positioned him to be silent. Eudorus looked at the bed of his lord and, to his surprise, found the beautiful Trojan captive lying there, covering by the thin blanket. It was obvious that she was completely naked, and he immediately knew what had happened between his lord and her.  
  
Eudorus smiled, he had known that his lord would be interested by this girl very much when Eudorus had first seen the girl. He was quite sure that this girl would change Achilles as his own wife had once changed him from a brutal man to a more intelligent one.  
  
Achilles followed him out of the tent.  
  
'The men are eager to know if we are going to fight, the army has set of to attack Thebe, the city next to Troy.' Eudorus said, looking at his lord. Through all these years of fighting, Eudorus and Achilles had grown close, and Achilles respected him.  
  
Achilles hesitated. He already had his girl back, so why not going back to fight? But he was still fuming over Agamemnon had taken his war prize from him in such a disrespecting way. And if Achilles had not been around, Briseis would be raped by Agamemnon's men. _How could the King do such thing to a girl like her?_ Achilles thought furiously, and again, he felt his blood boiled in his veins. 'My orders still stand.' Achilles said repulsively.  
  
'King Odysseus wants to talk to you,' Eudorus stated simply.  
  
Achilles turned to walk away, still deep in his thoughts. He paused and turned to Eudorus, still thinking if he had made the right decision, 'Tell our fellow Myrmidons to get ready,' Eudorus smiled. 'We are sailing home in the morning.'  
  
'Home?' Eudorus asked charily. He thought Achilles would not be reluctant to leave the war behind, at least he thought Achilles would not leave so soon. They had scarcely fought. 'Home.' Achilles said evidently, and walked off to find Odysseus' tent.  
  
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Briseis woke up to the sound of someone speaking, and found herself lying on a large bed. She wondered what had happened...  
  
Suddenly, visions of last night's events suddenly rushed back to her... The rescue......The tension between Achilles and her when they were throwing the washcloth at each other...... The attempt of her to murder the greatest warrior in the world...... The passion in Achilles' clear pale-blue eyes...... the clattering sound of Achilles' dagger when it hit the floor of his tent in the moonlight...... and the burning sensation of her skin when Achilles had ran his hand on her thigh......  
  
Realizing what she had done, she sat bolt upright and found herself naked, just adding more to her guilt. She raw feeling between her legs made her felt a bit dizzy; and her mind was now in chaos.  
  
She had given up her virginity to someone she barely knew, which she did not even know if the person would love her back. The most important of all, she was the priestess of Apollo, and she had vowed to remain her innocence in order to serve him. It was just a few days ago when she had made her vow, but now... Briseis could not even think of what her punishments of dishonoring the Sun God would be. And what about her cousins? How would uncle Priam react when he find out that she was now his greatest enemy's woman? And would Hector even want to acknowledge her presence in his heart again when he know? (She was sure Paris would not hate her, as Paris had started this war by bringing Helen back to Troy...) What should she do? Surely she could not go back to her homeland again, as she had betrayed Thebe and Troy. Where could she go when the war between the two nations had ended? Achilles would never bring a captive back to his home, and there was no misgiving about that.  
  
The problem would not be brought up if she had killed Achilles. Now, her future was unsure.  
  
She should have killed him! Why had she not? What had been stopping her? And deep in Briseis' heart, she knew what had been stopping her to kill this man. But she was so afraid even to acknowledge herself what that thing was. Love. She could not help it. He had been so gentle to her. He had made her feel special in his arms. He had even saved her from the savage, barbarian Greek soldiers.  
  
Briseis sat on the king sized bed of Achilles, the thin wool blanket wrapping around her body securely. She wanted to get out of bed, but she had got nothing to wear. The virgin robe of hers lay on the floor silently, waiting for its master to pick it up, and wear it again. Briseis stared at it, and shook her head slowly. She could never wear the silky white material on her flawless body again, since she was now Achilles' woman.  
  
Achilles, who had destroyed the golden statue of Apollo in front of the temple. Achilles, who had mocked the gods. Achilles, who had changed her so much. Achilles, who had made her feel loved.  
  
Briseis let tears of shame, confusion and uncertainty rolled from her once bright and cheerful hazel eyes down to her fair, radiant cheeks which had never been kissed by any man before the night before, except for her kinsmen. Briseis wanted to talk to Chryseis, to ask for her advice. But Briseis was now in the enemies' camp, and she knew she would never see Chryseis again. Slowly she raised her delicate hand up to her face and brushed the tears away. The thing had made her the guiltiest was she had devoted herself to the enemy out of her free will, and she could not even resist the temptation of sleeping with Achilles.  
  
But how could she resist? Achilles had been too gentle and tender to her. The thought of him made her smiled softly, although her heart was still filled with black grief. Many times had she tried to stop herself from loving the great warrior, but she had lost eventually.  
  
And now she felt so lost.  
  
Briseis sighed heavily, and lay down on the bed once more, waiting for Achilles to come back into his tent. She had to ask him for something to wear. And before then, she could not get out of the bed, being totally naked.  
  
As soon as she had closed her eyes, Achilles walked in, so Briseis had no choice but to sit up again. She looked up, and their eyes met at the same moment. Briseis blushed furiously, and looked down at her lap. This man had seen her naked. And she still could not believe that she gave up her innocence to him...  
  
Achilles walked towards the bed. 'How are you feeling?' he said as he sat on the bed next to her.  
  
Briseis sniffed and said, 'I little sore I think.'  
  
Sure Achilles had seen her tear strained face, because his expression twitched into a gentle and caring one when he looked at her closely. 'What is it?' He wondered aloud. 'Have I hurt you?' Briseis wrapped the blanket around herself even more securely, and shook her head vigorously, then said, in a merely audible voice, 'No, you didn't.'  
  
Achilles' concern for her shocked her so much. _Surely he did this to every woman he had slept with._ Briseis glanced at the white, silky material on the floor, and asked Achilles, 'do you have anything for me to wear? I cannot put on those robes now...' Achilles smiled at her gently, and walked out of the tent.  
  
Briseis sat there looking at his back, bewildered by his movements._ Where is he going?_ Bit by bit, Briseis drew a conclusion that Achilles did not want her to leave the tent... It was then he had reentered the tent, carrying some women's clothes with him.  
  
'Here,' he threw them at her.  
  
'Where do you get them?' asked Briseis curiously.  
  
'There must be someone that helps to cook the warrior's dinner, right?' Achilles said subtly, looking into Briseis' hazel eyes again with an expression that she could not understand.  
  
'Thank you,' Briseis said softly, and waited for him to get out of the tent while she could get dressed. But again, she had forgotten that Achilles was just a warrior. And warriors were not supposed to be sensitive.  
  
'Well, what are you waiting for then?' Achilles said, 'get dressed. Don't you want to have breakfast?'  
  
He didn't get the message that she wanted him to leave the tent.  
  
'I...I... can you get out of the tent while I get dressed?' Briseis asked straightforwardly. Achilles looked taken aback by her words. Never had a woman in his life that he had slept with asked him not to look at her body. He leaned closer to her, making her to flinch back a bit. 'Why should I?' he asked mischievously. The girl was very interesting. She seemed so delicate, but yet she was very strong mentally.  
  
After the long should-Achilles-get-out-of-the-tent-when-Briseis-get-dressed debate, Briseis surrendered and put on one of the dresses Achilles had brought her in front of Achilles' eyes.  
  
'Do you regret it?' Asked Achilles out of the blue.  
  
'About what?' she asked him back although she already known what he was asking her.  
  
'About... last night.' Achilles said plainly.  
  
Briseis thought for a moment... Of course, she felt guilty that she had betrayed her nation, but the touch of Achilles had made her completed. She had never felt this way in her whole life. The most important of all, Achilles had made her felt so special...especially when she was in his arms.  
  
Briseis shook her head, and Achilles felt relieved. At least she had not been crying because of regret. His eyes followed her when she lay on the soft bed (again), and he followed her movements. He put his arms around her slender waist. Briseis leaned on his chest, relaxing herself in his arms. Achilles felt contented as he sniffed in the scent of her hair. It was intoxicating. Perhaps he should sail back to his home together with her...if she was willing to do that. The thought was quite disturbing. He had come to Troy for glory, and for his name to be remembered. He would never dream that he would fall hopelessly in love with a girl. _Women had their way of complicating things._ Odysseus' words rang through his mind like the warning bell of Troy. He had heard it when he had first arrived at the shore, when he was still certain of his destiny, just like her mother Thetis the Silver Feet had said, which his glory would walk hand in hand with his doom. But now, his destiny had changed, and he had grown care for Briseis, which was quite unbelievable.  
  
'Am I still your captive?' Briseis' words broke his thoughts.  
  
'You are my guest,' he answered as softly as the question had asked.  
  
'Guests are allowed to leave whenever they want to.' Stated Briseis.  
  
Achilles said nothing. He did not want to let the girl go. At least not now.  
  
'When are you going to leave this war behind you?' Briseis wondered aloud.  
  
'The time when you are willing to leave Troy and Thebe behind you.' Came the answer.  
  
'As long as I am with you, I can leave Troy and Thebe behind...' she said, 'But you have to let me to send a message for my kinsmen first...'  
  
'It's a covenant.' Silence.  
  
'You have saved your nation.' Achilles added, and found the girl was already asleep in his arms. He hugged her tightly to him...  
  
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Hey, what would you prefer?  
  
Short chapters and frequent updates.  
  
Long chapters with less frequent updates.  
  
I'm asking you this because I'm having a writer's block....  
  
So, do tell me about it.


	10. The Second Captive

Hey, thanks for the advices! And also thanks to everyone that like to ready my story. More thanks to those who review. I can't believe that I've got 31 reviews in, like, a week! Woohoo! I promise you a decent (that means happy) ending for my story, OK? So don't worry! Enjoy yourself!  
  
Okay, let's see together what's going on with the story.....  
  
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Chapter 10  
  
Achilles was not by her side when Briseis woke up again.  
  
In a snail's pace, Briseis flew open the flaps and walked out of the tent. It was evening. The sun was setting. The sky was pink, and the only streaks of cloud in the sky were reflected light blue from the soon-to-come night. Clearly, she had slept through breakfast and lunch. But she did not felt the least hungry. The Myrmidons were there, already enjoying the dinner.  
  
'Lady,' said Eudorus when he approached. Briseis was surprised by his words. When had she become his lady? 'My lord had ordered not to let you leave the tent...' he said courteously. 'It's for your safety,' he added. Briseis smiled a bit and went back into the tent. _Eudorus was a good man._ She said to herself.  
  
She wondered where Achilles had gone, since the Myrmidons were there. Maybe he was at Odysseus' tent again? She sat on the bed again, feeling bored.  
  
After a while, when Briseis had been dazing for some time, the flaps flew open again and in walked Achilles. He did not seem to be in a good mood. He washed his face again, just like when Briseis and he had first met, and he looked at her, 'I see that you are awake at last.' Briseis blushed a bit, 'I was tired.'  
  
'You should be,' Came the answer, which was muffled in the splashing sound of water when Achilles washed his face again. 'The army was back.' He said, this time seriously.  
  
Briseis looked at Achilles questioningly. She did not understood what he was implying.  
  
When Achilles had not heard Briseis' response, he looked into her eyes straightly, with a hint of worry in his eyes. 'They had taken the city of Thebe. The palace was sacked. One of the royalties was captured. All of the others had escaped to Troy.' Briseis looked at Achilles in fear and disbelieve. The Greeks had captured Thebe? How? Thebe had nothing to do with the war between Troy and Greece. Briseis thought of Chryseis immediately. Had she been captured? Was she fast enough to escape to Troy?  
  
'I believe the captive is one of your cousins.' Achilles said again.  
  
'May I see the captive?' said Briseis eagerly.  
  
'She had been brought to the hog, Agamemnon.' Achilles said.  
  
If Chryseis was the one which was brought to the High King, Briseis could never imagine what would happen to Chryseis. There was no doubt Agamemnon would take the beauty almost immediately.  
  
'Is the captive... a girl?' Briseis asked Achilles. She was desperate to know if the captive was her dear cousin.  
  
Achilles nodded. 'I've not seen her. But I've heard she's a beauty.'  
  
Briseis almost fainted. No doubt that girl was Chryseis. And Briseis knew she must save her. A beauty like Chryseis would be very dangerous in the camp of the enemies'. Sure she couldn't let her lovely and playful cousin wasted in the filthy hands of Agamemnon, right? So, always being the first one to react, she anxiously asked Achilles to take her to the High King's tent. 'I'm not sure if I can help you, seeing that Agamemnon is so stubborn, yet stupid. He may not release the girl, but keep her to himself.' Achilles explained, but he was already walking towards the flaps of his tent. Briseis scrambled out of the tousled bed quickly and followed him out of the tent.  
  
Now the sun was completely set. The stars had started their gleaming and glistening. Those were the stars that had always shone brightly on Thebe and Troy. Briseis, together with all her cousins, Chryseis, Hector and Paris, had always had fun under those faint and dim lights of the stars. Briseis remembered the time they had seek out of their palaces and met under those stars, sometimes caught by the guards of the cities; sometimes they could come out 'safely' and enjoy themselves. But now, Thebe was captured, as well as Chryseis and herself. Those joyous and happy days would never come back, yet, Briseis knew, and was sure of that, that those moments would live in her heart forever, even though the four of them had different future paths lying ahead of them: Hector might die in the war between Greece and Troy; Paris might live with Helen, now his wife happily ever after; Chryseis might not be saved by Achilles and her, and might remain a captive of Agamemnon forever, which she might have to live with a ruined and destroyed life; And her, Briseis, together with Achilles, would sail back to his homeland and might never come back. However, she was not sure if they would be even leaving Troy and Thebe now, seeing that the first thing in her own heart was to save Chryseis, her cousin, which she cared so much for a cousin, like a sister.  
  
They walked towards the ship of Agamemnon in silence. Briseis felt cold when the sea breeze brushed the whole of her body. She didn't know how Achilles noticed, but he put an arm around her shoulders, trying to keep her warm. Briseis smiled at his action. When Achilles touched her, all her troubles seemed to fade away, and she would feel so safe and relaxed. The man had made her complete. Before Briseis had met him, she was quite lost in her destiny. The only solution that she could come to when she faced difficulties was to pray. And she had even tried to hide herself from reality, and be a priestess when she felt so confused by men.  
  
Adromache's intellectual words suddenly came to her mind: You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories.  
  
She did not really understand those words the day when Hector had said them. But now, being in Achilles arms, she knew what those words truly meant. Perhaps being with Achilles was not a bad thing after all. She felt that she had grown a lot those few days, not physically (although she was a woman now...), but mentally. She had grown more sophisticated, more...intelligent. She had seen death, and had been through humiliation when the Greek soldiers had thrown her around, and she now knew what the feeling to be in love was like. Achilles himself had taught her a lot also. He himself was not afraid of anything, not even the Gods. He told her that the Gods envied the mortal ones, and when Briseis thought about it again, his words totally made sense. And his presence had made her more courageous and a lot braver.  
  
'We're here,' whispered Achilles into her ear softly.  
  
Briseis looked up, and saw the huge and luxurious ship of Agamemnon again. She sincerely hoped that it would be the last time she saw this detestable ship of the despicable King. Achilles had started to enter when two guards stopped him.  
  
Those two guards were never cowards, but Achilles' glare had drained their blood out of their faces. Both get out of Achilles' way at once and let him in. Ungratefully, Achilles entered the meeting hall in a smug way that Briseis had never seen.  
  
The two guards looked at Briseis, both mesmerized by her beauty, and, judging by their facial expressions, not wanting to let her into the hall. So Briseis just hurried into the hall after Achilles, only find her looking at Agamemnon, who was sitting on his throne, and gripping the left wrist of Chryseis. The tent was empty except the four of them. Briseis was sure that Agamemnon had not noticed the couple entered the tent, as he continued to laugh at the way Chryseis winced under his grip.  
  
Achilles coughed loudly in a rude way and Agamemnon looked up, so as Chryseis. Chryseis was so shocked by the existence of Briseis in the tent that her jaw hung low and could not bring herself to believe her eyes.  
  
Agamemnon raised an eyebrow at Achilles, and, in a very commanding tone, asked him, 'Why are you here in my tent?' Achilles did not answer, so Agamemnon raised his voice at him, 'Have you even asked for my permission before you enter?' Agamemnon's face was red with rage. Both Briseis and Chryseis winced at the deafening volume of Agamemnon's voice.  
  
Not feared by Agamemnon's reactions, Achilles answered revoltingly that he needed not Agamemnon's permission in order to enter the High King's places. His words provoked the King even more. Agamemnon was now so furious that Briseis thought she saw steam gushing out from his ears and nostrils. Perhaps he was furious because he did not want anyone to know his shameful performance, just like the way he had looked at Chryseis just then. Briseis would have wanted to laugh at the short, chubby and cranky man in front of her if the situation was not that Achilles and she had come to save Chryseis.  
  
Agamemnon, whom was enraged by Achilles words, had still not said anything, but pushed Chryseis hardly to the plush-carpeted floor of the hall (which had caused Briseis to flinch and Chryseis to moan in pain), and stomped in front of Achilles. Briseis left Achilles to deal with the barbarian King and rushed towards Chryseis, and helped her to stand up again.  
  
'Briseis! I thought you were dead!' said Chryseis shrilly. She had been so thrilled to see her cousin alive in the enemies' camp, as she had been captured for about 3 days already.  
  
'No, I'm not.' Briseis said cheerfully, delighted to know that her cousin was still untouched. 'Now, let's see how we are going to escape.'  
  
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Hey! Are you excited? I hope you are.

Now, it's a deal between you and me.

You'll review more, and I'll update more frequently.

OK?


	11. The end?

Hello! I'm really glad that you review.... And now I'm bringing you the

The exciting chapter 11!!! By the way, the 'escape' Briseis said means that how are they going to escape from Agamemnon's tent! So, let's find out!

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Chapter 11  
  
Briseis and Chryseis both looked at Achilles and Agamemnon.  
  
The scene was quite entertaining. The two men looked at each other intensely, both had a fire of anger and rage burning in their eyes. Yet, Achilles was towering over Agamemnon, and it seemed like that Agamemnon would be defeated if a fight was started between the two.  
  
No one knew, except for himself, if Agamemnon was afraid of Achilles' intensive look or not, as he turned away from Achilles' fiery glare. The King said, smiling slyly to Achilles, 'So, I see you've got the girl, Briseis, right? Back from my men.' Achilles did not move or made any response, but had kept on glaring at the king, now more fiercely. 'I hope she's still pure enough for you.' Agamemnon added cunningly.  
  
Briseis watched anxiously as Achilles fists curled up slowly into a ball, and she knew what would be coming. One blow of Achilles would be enough to kill the pigheaded king. If this king was killed by Achilles, there would be no way of them escaping even they were together with Achilles. There would too much soldiers and guards, and Achilles had to take care of the two girls too. So, she hurried back to Achilles and put a hand on one of his curled-up fists. Achilles looked at Briseis slightly, and then smiled and nodded faintly. Achilles released his anger, and slowly relaxed his fists. He knew exactly what Briseis wanted him to know. It would be too dangerous to kill this brainless man in front of him. He had been to rash.  
  
Achilles looked at the king sideways, and said smugly, 'It would give me much pleasure to kill you now, as your words had offended me to a great extent, and I will make no denial about it,' Agamemnon smiled smugly, knowing that Achilles did not dare to kill him.  
  
Briseis watched in mild delight as Agamemnon's facial expression twitched so quickly into a horrified and infuriated one when Achilles added, 'But your death now will never give me as much pleasure to see how you are defeated, and commit a painful suicide after you realize you can't win this war without me.' This was Achilles' turn to look smug. 'And, besides, I've come here to take away your war-prize, just as you had taken mine two days ago. But you can be informed that, at least I am not doing it in a deceitful way that some disgraceful king had used.'  
  
Achilles immediately ushered the two girls out of the hall when Agamemnon was still fuming with red rage, and stood there glaring daggers at Achilles, although Achilles had paid no attention to the shameless king's unseen 'daggers'.  
  
As they had arrived in Achilles' tent, Briseis was already laughing so hard that Achilles had to hold her by the arm to keep her standing. Chryseis was glancing at the two of them in a suspicious and nervous way that was understandable in Achilles' eyes. (You should know that Briseis was laughing so hard that anything but Achilles' arm was oblivious to her)  
  
When Chryseis had waited until Briseis had calm down, she blurted out the question that she dare not asked Achilles (as she thought he was just a Trojan and Theban murderer, and she hated him), 'Cousin, why are you here?'  
  
Achilles took the hint (at last! He could take a hint!) that the two girls would be having a girl talk sooner or later, so he left the tent to join his men by the fire.  
  
'I'm here because I was captured by the Greeks,' said Briseis softly.  
  
'Who is that man? He is a Greek isn't he?' Briseis nodded faintly at Chryseis' anxious question.  
  
'He is Achilles isn't he? The murderer.' Chryseis asked quietly, although she already knew what the answer from her cousin would be.  
  
'He's not as bad as you think, he's-' Briseis tried to explain, but she was cut off by Chryseis' furious words, 'How could you let him touch you! He had murdered our countrymen!'  
  
'He had saved me,' Briseis explained softly, 'from the filthy hands of Agamemnon's men. He is a good man.'  
  
Chryseis looked into the beautiful eyes of her elder cousin, the cousin who she had always envied a lot because of her attractiveness. And deep inside the hazel orbs of them, she could see a gentleness and indescribable, yet distance look in them, and she had heard of that look from Andromache. Chryseis had always seen it in Andromache's eyes when she was talking about Hector. _Love,_ she realized. Love, the one thing she could not understand.  
  
'Cousin, you are still young. You are only sixteen. You won't understand love, as I had not when I was at your age two years and a half ago.' Briseis said to Chryseis gently, placing both hands on her shoulders.  
  
Chryseis pouted. _How can she say I am young when she was only two years and a half older than me?  
_  
'But Chryseis,' Briseis added, 'Achilles would kill a Trojan or a Theban no more. He and I will be leaving for Greece sooner or later.'  
  
Chryseis' eyes widened with bewilderment. She could not believe Briseis had done so much for Troy (as Thebe was captured then). Hector would not be threatened by the Greek army anymore, with no Achilles there. Chryseis hugged Briseis tightly, and said, 'Sorry, I have misunderstood you.' Briseis smiled softly. She had followed her heart. Sailing to Greece together with Achilles was more than to satisfy herself than to save Troy. Love could be so unreachable.  
  
The flaps flew open and in walked a very young man, about eighteen, who looked a bit like Achilles.  
  
'Achilles, I've heard that you are sailing back to Greece,' the young man, or to say, Patroclus, Achilles' cousin, said furiously.  
  
Silence.  
  
He looked around the tent, and found no Achilles there. But instead, on the floor, sat two beautiful maidens. One, he recognized, as Briseis, the reason that Achilles gave up fighting to sail back to Greece. He looked at the other one, and an indescribable feeling hit him... The girl looked shy, yet provocative. Both blushed and looked away at the same time.  
  
Briseis smiled at the reactions of the two and watched as Achilles' cousin turned and walked out of the tent.  
  
Chryseis looked at Briseis shyly, and asked bluntly, 'Did you feel something?'  
  
Briseis laughed silently at Chryseis' blunt question. Her cousin would know how she herself was feeling soon.  
  
Achilles entered the tent again, 'This tent is too crowded for three people to sleep in. Chryseis, right?' Chryseis nodded. 'I invite you to sleep in my cousin Patroclus' tent.' Briseis smiled at Achilles. 'But don't try to kill him, he is also a deadly warrior.' he glanced at Briseis skeptically, which glared back at him, 'Don't worry; he won't do anything to you.' Achilles added quickly as panic took over the face of his lover's young cousin. With this, Eudorus came in and led Chryseis to sleep in Patroclus' tent.  
  
Briseis asked Achilles if he did that on purpose.  
  
But Achilles did not respond. Instead, he washed his face again. He found himself always washing his face since Briseis had come.  
  
Although he did not answer, Briseis could sense the mischievous from him. 'You want your cousin to fall in love with mine?' she asked straightforwardly. Achilles glanced at Briseis, meaning yes. 'They are still young.' Briseis stated uneasily.  
  
'You are only eighteen and a half, two years and a half older than your cousin; do you think you are very experienced and sophisticated?' Achilles smirked.  
  
Briseis blushed, _how does he know it?_  
  
And then it hit her. 'You are listening to our conversation!' Briseis blurted out furiously. And if Achilles was listening, he would also know that...  
  
'"He had saved me from the filthy hands of Agamemnon's men. He is a good man." Says you, "thank you," says I' Achilles said complacently.  
  
Briseis stood up from the floor, looking up at the towering Achilles frantically, her neck and face crimson from the embarrassment.  
  
Achilles grinned at Briseis. She was so provocative, and he loved to provoke her.  
  
'You cannot listen to other people's conversation! That's invading others' privacy!' Briseis scolded.  
  
Achilles grinned at her again. He lifted up her chin and kissed her softly, and Briseis gratefully returned the kiss. Achilles whispered when they drew apart, 'am I forgiven?'  
  
Briseis smiled and kissed him again.  
  
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Ha! That's how the story ends!! Do you like it?  
  
**Just kidding**, the ending is not romantic enough, and I'm going to make it longer, longer and longer. You may think this chapter is quite useless, but I'm telling you, this chapter is important! If Achilles had not sent Chryseis to sleep in Patroclus' tent, everything would be different...  
  
So, in order to know more, you must review and I must update!  
  
I am replying to some of my reviewers... Ilovehector: I think there will be a lot more chapters to come.... love-shannen: Hector will be one of the most important character too. So, don't worry about it.  
  
Thank you. Hugs and kisses


	12. Wrong Decision

Okay! My never-ending-story must continue... and here's it...  
  
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Chapter 12  
  
'My lord! My lord!' The flaps of Achilles' tent flew open, and in dashed Eudorus.  
  
Achilles was still in bed with Briseis in his arms. He looked up drowsily from his comfortable position. Eudorus was covered with blood. There was a fretful expression on written on his face that worried Achilles immediately. Achilles frowned, 'Wait for me outside, I will be there at once.' He pushed away the sleeping form of Briseis gently, and jumped off the bed. He found a robe and put it on hastily. Eudorus was standing outside of the tent next to the flaps, very worried.  
  
'What is it,' asked Achilles calmly, yet his voice held a hint of concern.  
  
'It's Patroclus, my lord,' Eudorus said breathlessly.  
  
The two hurried to Patroclus' tent, and found him leaning on a post, still conscious. Achilles hurried towards the young man, and observed his wounds. Patroclus was wounded on his left shoulder, there was also cuts over his body, but his life was not in danger. Eudorus quickly cleaned the wounds and bandaged them with cleaned cloths. Eudorus left the tent, and Achilles observed his cousin closely while he was resting. He was panting slightly, and he looked peaceful and calm, although Achilles could sense that his cousin was worried. Patroclus' brows were a bit furrowed. Achilles wondered what had happened. He looked around the tent for some intimation but there was none. Achilles felt puzzled until he found that something was missing: Briseis' cousin, Chryseis.  
  
'They have taken the girl?' Achilles asked composedly.  
  
Patroclus opened his eyes a bit, and he nodded.  
  
'What had happened? Explain.' Achilles demanded.  
  
Patroclus looked at his cousin, and Achilles' eyes were the same—as calm as ever. They showed no hint of curiosity and pry. But he knew his cousin was worried about him, and desperately wanted to know what had happened just now. So, after his little rest, he started, 'I, I was in the tent with that girl,'  
  
'Who?' Achilles forced him to say Chryseis' name.  
  
'Chryseis,' said Patroclus, blushing lightly. 'We're in the tent; we were talking.'  
  
'About what?' Achilles asked, following up his little 'victory' with hot pursuit.  
  
'About... anything.' Said Patroclus.  
  
'Then? What happened?'  
  
'A few, I mean about ten soldiers came in. Agamemnon's men.' Achilles watched as his cousin grew angrier and angrier each second.  
  
'Why don't you fight them?' Achilles asked. He knew very well that Patroclus fought for everything he wanted. Everything he thought it was not fair.  
  
'I've fought, and I've killed a few.' Patroclus said, and pointed towards the trail of blood on the ground which led to the outside of the tent. Achilles nodded, and ushered him to continue.  
  
Patroclus then continued in a crestfallen way, 'I've thought of killing all of them. How dare they take away my girl...'  
  
Achilles raised an eyebrow, 'When had she become your girl?'  
  
'No,' Patroclus said immediately, trying to defend himself. 'I mean Chryseis.'  
  
Achilles remained silence, implying his cousin to go on. 'But Chryseis told me to stop. She said the soldiers only took the orders of the leader, and they had not sinned.' Achilles frowned. Briseis and her own cousin were so much alike. She had told him to kill no one when she was held by the two guards in Agamemnon's ship. She was in danger, yet she still consider of others' safety and was ready to forgive. That was what Achilles found Briseis attractive: Being strong and fiery, yet cheerful and gentle, with a heart as light as a feather. Achilles lowered himself and looked at his cousin in the eyes. They were very much alike too. They were both strong and fierce. Yet Achilles himself was more of a composed man than his cousin, always being hasty. They looked a bit alike too. Both had blue eyes and gold locks. But his own eyes showed no emotions, when Patroclus' eyes always betray his own feelings and thoughts.  
  
'Shall we go find her?' Achilles suggested.  
  
'No,' said Patroclus shortly. 'She asked for it. She didn't want my protection. And I don't care.'  
  
'You don't care? Are you sure?' asked Achilles skeptically. He knew he had to break the stubbornness of the obstinate boy in front of him. 'Then I will be the hero to save her. Maybe I can earn her affection.'  
  
Patroclus stood up abruptly and looked at Achilles furiously, disbelievingly. 'I thought you are already satisfied with Chryseis' cousin!' he nearly scolded.  
  
Achilles was laughing furtively at his cousin. He was too stubborn to admit to himself that he liked Chryseis very much. 'But if you don't, who will be saving her? I thought the most suitable person will be no other than me,' said Achilles in mocking wittiness. 'Maybe Agamemnon is already playing with the delicate girl, or he may already thrown her to his men,'  
  
Achilles had wanted to continue to provoke his cousin, but Patroclus had already reached for his armor and breastplate. Out of the tent he strolled, throwing open the flaps. When he was a few steps out of the tent, he still had not realized that he had forgotten the most important thing he needed—his sword. Achilles reached for the sword from the rack in the tent, and followed the spirited boy. They drew near the ship of Agamemnon. Patroclus was still strolling towards the ship anxiously, worrying about Chryseis, and was oblivious to the world around him. When Patroclus had started to climb the stairs, Achilles tapped his shoulder, and had him the sword, 'I wonder what the joke will be like when you reached for your sword and find out that there is nothing held to your waist.'  
  
The boy blushed again, and thanked Achilles. Achilles nodded him to climb on, to save the girl he liked, just like what he himself had tried to do a few days ago.  
  
Achilles walked back to his own tent at a snail's pace. He worried not for the boy, as he was a good warrior, and the boy's fighting skills were taught by him. The only thing was that his cousin was too curt. _Need not worry. He has to learn to take care of himself anyway. He has to gain experience._ He kept on pacing towards his tent. He smiled. He was now sure that Patroclus would not stop him from going back to Greece. His cousin himself had also grown care for another girl, and he must know how it felt also. He had acted like he was willing to die for the girl.  
  
Achilles reached his tent again, and entered quietly, not wanting to disturb the girl on his bed. He reached for a chair, positioned it beside the bed, and sat down. He gazed at the sleeping form of Briseis in front of his eyes. In the moonlight, everyone who looked at Briseis would not believe himself was looking at a mortal woman on earth. Briseis' dark, chestnut brown curls strewn prettily around her head. Her eyes were closed, and her thick and long lashes fanning along her lids. Her lips looked incredibly soft and lush, and again, Achilles had the strongest desire to taste them again. The dim moonlight made its own way into his tent, making Briseis' already fair and radiant skin glow. Achilles held his breath, and stare at her more intensely. Suddenly she looked like a goddess, high up on Mount Olympus, out of place among the mortals of the earth. He did not want to blink, he was quite afraid that if he took his eyes off her, she would vanish. Achilles leaned a bit backwards on his chair, thinking deeply. Briseis was too perfect for him: too gentle, too tender and sweet. How could he, a cold-hearted warrior, make her leave her homeland to follow him around, taking care of him? This was not the way. He did not understand why a girl like Briseis was willing to leave her homeland for him.

_Maybe... because of the safety of her homeland?_ That was the only conclusion Achilles could draw. Maybe he should not force her to leave Troy with him when she asked him when he would leave the war behind. He was already in love with the girl long before he realized. That was why he had wanted her so much. He could not understand it, but the moment he saw Briseis, he thought he had found peace through all those years of fighting and battles. As long as he could still touch her, he knew he would never die, not at all.  
  
Achilles knew it, if he sail away with Briseis back to his homeland, he would never again ask for glory. He would find solace in the form of Briseis, and would never want to leave her again.  
  
Before Achilles realized, it was already morning and the sun had started to rise. He had been so obsessed with his own thoughts that he did not even realize that the last light of the stars had faded into the rising sun. It was Briseis' exquisite voice which had woke him from his deep thoughts. 'Why were you out last night?' Achilles looked up, a bit startled by Briseis. 'You look confused. What is it?'  
  
Achilles looked at the girl gently. 'Are you willing to leave Troy with me? Be honest, please.'  
  
Briseis' eyes widened with surprise, _why will Achilles ask such question?_  
  
'Why won't I?' she said. She was starting to get worried too.  
  
Relieve flashed through his eyes, and again, Achilles found his strength, which was drained from his body when he waited for her answer, slowly drawing back to him.  
  
'I wonder how Chryseis is...' Briseis said hazily, stretching her arms and legs.  
  
Achilles did not hesitate, and told Briseis the whole thing happened last night. And Briseis looked worried. 'What if Agamemnon isn't willing to give Chryseis back?'  
  
'Patroclus would save her.' Achilles said confidently.  
  
'No. He can't. He can't find her.' Briseis murmured.  
  
Realization dawned him, and they both looked at each other. Briseis quickly got dressed and they rushed out of the tent towards Patroclus', hand in hand.  
  
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I must sleep now. Writing this chapter had drained all my energy.

So, I truly hope that you like it.

Thanks so much again, for the reviews. 

As for Trojans, my dear reviewer, I want to tell you that I'm not planning on making Chryseis and Achilles fall in love...

I'm so sorry to disappoint you... But I'll make someone to fall in love with Achilles.

I'm still planning on it.

See you soon.


	13. Achilles' quandary

Ah, after a sleep I feel a lot better.  
  
Now, let's continue...

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Chapter 13  
  
Achilles and Briseis slowed down a bit when they were nearer to Patroclus' tent. Both paused rapidly at the entrance. Without any hesitation, Achilles threw the flaps open and the couple walked in.  
  
Patroclus was sitting on the floor, still in his armor. The sword that he had forgotten to bring with him was lying on the floor, disregarded. His head was in his hands, which arms were both resting on his knees. He looked troubled, and very distressed. Briseis observed the tent. The arrangements of the furniture were very much like Achilles' tent. There was a trail of blood on the floor leading under her feet, towards the entrance. She stepped aside, not wanting to make any contact with the dried blood of the dead or not, Greek soldiers. She looked back at Patroclus. The cloths bandaging his wounds of the night before, as Achilles had told her, were shed with blood again, but there were no more cuts. On the floor below him, she saw a few drops of dried tears. _Tears? He was caring enough to cry for my sister-like cousin?  
_  
Briseis was touched, so she walked towards him and bent down, wanting to comfort her. But in her mind, she was screaming to be comforted too. But in order to comfort the others, she had to put on a strong face. 'Patroclus,' she started, and startled, Patroclus yelled with fright and looked up, just to see a woman who looked a bit like Chryseis was looking into his eyes softly, in a comforting way. Briseis hugged Patroclus gently, hoping the boy could recover soon. And slowly, Patroclus hugged her back, but Achilles could see it, his face was still grim.  
  
Whether his cousin's face was grim or not, Achilles need not care. He could only feel a pang of jealousy hammering his heart, and he did not want to bear the feeling. Besides, he had never been jealous of anything before. He pushed away the force roughly, and focused back on Briseis and his cousin. Briseis ushered the boy to get on the bed to get some sleep, and Patroclus obeyed reluctantly. Briseis looked back at Achilles bitterly, asking for help. He walked towards the bed and in a quite demanding tone, asked his cousin how was his 'rescue'.  
  
Patroclus did not hesitate a bit, and told the two the whole story.  
  
After Achilles had given him the sword and left, he climbed up the stairs. He strolled towards the entrance of the meeting hall swiftly, ignoring the shouting and yelling of stops and ceases of the guards. He looked at them murderously, and they were both silenced at once.  
  
The meeting hall was empty. He walked up to Agamemnon's throne, and kicked it hardly. Achilles smiled contently. He would have done so if he had had a chance.  
  
There were two entrances beside the throne, and Patroclus had entered one casually. After entering, he found the entrances actually led to the same destiny. And so, he started his way of finding Chryseis in the maze-like ship of Agamemnon. He had come across a lot of guards, but he could manage them. Briseis gasped at the way he said 'manage', as she knew the underlying meaning was 'he could manage to kill them'. Patroclus had looked at her for a split second, then shrugged and continued. Patroclus had asked the guards before he killed them, so, he could find Chryseis quickly. She was locked inside a room on the lower deck. There were two guards outside, and he had defeated them and asked for them the keys. The two guards, at his feet were begging for his mercy, and telling him that the keys were kept by Agamemnon. So he asked them where the King's room was. Both said they did not know, as they were only guards and not the servants of Agamemnon. So Patroclus let them go. He had tried to use his sword to cut open the lock, but it was made of fine steel, and his sword could not get it open.  
  
He did not know if Chryseis was safe or not, as there was no response at the other side of the door when he had yelled for her. He thought she was locked in a storage room for wine, as he could smell alcohol.  
  
Patroclus had wasted no time, and he started to find Agamemnon. But the ship was too big and the pathways were like maze. He eventually got lost and could only find his way back by the drops of blood on the floor.  
  
Achilles patted his cousin's shoulders, and told him to rest. He and Briseis would save the girl.  
  
So they both went out and wolfed down their breakfasts. Briseis remembered the room she was locked in when she was held by Agamemnon. It was very likely that Chryseis was also locked inside the room.  
  
So off they went to Agamemnon's ship, and waited secretly on the side of it. It was morning, and it was very likely that all the kings were gathered inside the hall, holding discussion about how to win the war. The discussion had gone especially long today, so Briseis looked out at the sea while Achilles was watching every move of the ship. Suddenly Briseis spot a ship that was familiar. She had seen it so many times, and it seemed like she had boarded on it a few times too.  
  
Achilles' nudge had caused her to turn away from that familiar ship, towards the entrance of the meeting hall. Kings and captains were pouring out of it. Briseis waited for all of them had descended the stairs and walked away, and she started towards the stairs too, only being grabbed by Achilles on her waist.  
  
'What is it?' she whispered without turning to face him.  
  
Achilles kissed the back of her neck tenderly. 'There are always a few kings who stay there to discuss further or more private matters...'  
  
So Briseis and Achilles waited for a bit longer, and about a few ten minutes later, an old man walked out. A man Briseis could recognize without a shadow of doubt.  
  
'Uncle Chryses...' Briseis murmured softly, shocked by the fact that the old man was there.  
  
'Is he your uncle? Let's go and find him.' Achilles said, entwining his fingers with hers.  
  
When they came nearer, Briseis could see the old man more clearly. He looked dejected, and there were tears in his eyes. When he finally noticed that there were two people staring at him, he looked up and found out that one of them was no other than Briseis.  
  
He looked shocked. 'My niece! My dear niece! Briseis! You are still alive!'  
  
Briseis ran forward and hugged him tightly. 'I'm here, uncle Chryses.' She said miserably.  
  
'I thought you were dead!' Briseis' uncle looked like hope had come to him again. 'Now, come with be back to Troy. You'll see your cousins and brother Priam.'  
  
Briseis stepped one step back, and observed Chryses' old and wrinkled face again. He seemed to grow much older in these few days that she had not seen him, and his face was masked with a layer of sadness. Yet his eyes shone with light and hope like he had just discovered an oasis in a desert. Briseis hated to disappoint the old man. She would never like to see him looking crestfallen again. But she had to keep her promise. Besides, she loved Achilles so deeply that she could die for him.  
  
'Uncle, I cannot do this,' said Briseis tentatively, 'I've promised to sail away with the warrior Achilles.' She looked down at her feet, feeling guilty, 'and he promised not to hurt one Trojan or Theban again.'  
  
When Briseis looked up at the man again, there were tears again in his eyes again. Chryses nodded, and added, 'besides, you love the man,' he smiled softly at her, 'I can say you have made an immense decision, you choose to leave your family behind.'  
  
Chryses looked towards the far away gates of Troy. 'If I can just have Chryseis back...'  
  
He turned to leave, and walked a few steps towards the ship that was familiar to Briseis. He stopped suddenly, and said to Briseis, 'I wish you good luck, and have a happy live in Greece with Achilles. Don't worry about Priam and your cousins; I will bring a message to them that you are safe.' Briseis let a tear made way down her cheek, and kissed her uncle goodbye. It would be the last time in her life she kissed him. 'Farewell, my dearest uncle...'  
  
'Farewell, my dear.' He walked away. 'I must pray to Apollo to have my daughter Chryseis back...' she heard him muttered.  
  
The tears on Briseis' cheeks made Achilles felt so blameworthy. Had she lied to him that morning when she said that she was willing to leave her country with him?  
  
'Should we get on to save Chryseis?' asked Briseis softly.  
  
'I don't think so.' Achilles said pondering. 'Your uncle had come here with a huge ransom for his daughter.'  
  
They both looked at the ship of Chryses. Sure it held a lot of gold and jewels. Yet Agamemnon had refused to give Chryses her daughter back. There was no way of saving her.  
  
They walked back towards the tent, both deep in their thoughts.  
  
Briseis was thinking of ways to save Chryseis, so that her uncle need not be so miserable.  
  
While Achilles was thinking if he should bring Briseis back to Greece or let her go back to her loving family in Troy, and stay with them, never seeing him again.  
  
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Hey, it's sad, isn't it?

Please be patient while I'm diligently writing new chapters.  
  
Thanks so much for the lovely reviews!!!

Review! Please. Thanks.


	14. Mistake

Special thanks to those reviewed my last chapter! Love you all!!  
  
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Chapter 14  
  
That night, Briseis and Achilles both sat on the large and soft bed in Achilles' tent, not knowing what to do...  
  
Briseis was strained and distressed, she had been worrying the whole day for her young cousin Chryseis. She was held by Agamemnon, and Briseis knew that Chryseis was in great danger, judging by the way Agamemnon looked at young girls and women. Briseis wanted to save Chryseis. But Achilles' cousin had already tried to do so, and had been unsuccessful. Besides, Agamemnon did not even took a peep at the girl's ransom from Chryses, Chryseis' father, so how could she convince the unintelligent king to release the girl? There was no hope for Chryseis, and Briseis felt crestfallen.  
  
But Achilles was paying no attention to the 'dangerous' situation of the girl Chryseis, as he knew that Agamemnon would not dare to lay his filthy hands on the girl, yet. Achilles knew that Agamemnon was a coward, and he would not take the girl until either Achilles or Patroclus was not threatening to him anymore. He was more worried about where Briseis' heart truly laid. Although she had promised to leave Troy and Thebe with him, she might not want to go. He had witnessed with his own eyes, that how sad and miserable Briseis was when she had told her uncle Chryses that she would not be going back to Troy, to her family. Achilles felt his blood boiled in his veins. Did Briseis love him? Had she been lying to him all the time that she love him? Was she just going to Greece with him because she wanted to save the only home of her that was left, Troy? Achilles felt furious, yet so confused. Never had a woman made him feel like this. He knew it would break his heart if he found out that the truth was, Briseis did not love him.  
  
Maybe he should send her back to Troy, her only family. He loved her, and he should hope for her the best. And he felt so selfish keeping Briseis to himself, to let her cousins mourn for her leaving.  
  
But no one had ever told him that love was, indeed, selfish.  
  
Besides, he had always thought himself as selfish, and he thought many others thought so. So there would be no guilty feeling of keeping the girl to himself. She was his war prize. But he could never deny, what he felt now was, exactly, guilty. And he knew exactly what to do if he loved her. He would do it before he left this war behind, to sail back to Greece, to Phthia.  
  
Achilles glanced sideways at Briseis. Her head was bowed down, and her soft curls were curtaining her gorgeous face. 'What are you worrying about?' He asked.  
  
Briseis looked up, and met his blue eyes. 'Chryseis,' she murmured.  
  
'Need not worry. Agamemnon would not touch her yet. Not until I am a threaten to him no more.' Achilles told her calmly.  
  
'That means when you and I leave here, her safety will no longer be guaranteed?' Briseis asked nervously.  
  
Achilles nodded silently. Briseis was very worried about her cousin, maybe she would not even let him leave Troy now. He felt so vulnerable to be in love with this girl. It seemed like every move of him could be controlled by her. 'So we must save her...' Briseis said again. 'We're leaving soon...'  
  
'If you're willing to.' Achilles said repulsively.  
  
Briseis frowned. What was he implying? She scrambled closer towards Achilles. He averted his gaze, pretending to examine a scratch at the back of his left hand. Why did he not look at her? Had anything happened that had drawn him away from her? Maybe he did not want her anymore...... Tears flooded her eyes as realization (although which was not true) dawned her. He had grown tired of her already. The entire thing about sailing together back to Phthia was a lie. She was just a new 'sweetheart' to him in the shores of the Trojan Kingdom. And now, he was done with her, and he would sail back to his homeland, forgetting about what had happened those days when Briseis had thought he loved her.  
  
So, the misunderstanding between Achilles and Briseis grew deeper, and they both sat there, as still as statue.  
  
No one knew how long they had sat there. But it should be more than a few hours, because when Briseis moved again, the moon was already high up in the sky. Weakly, Briseis lay down on the bed, and closed her eyes. Sleep had immediately taken over her as she lay there, exhausted, distressed, uncertain, and hopeless.  
  
Achilles' eyes had followed the movement of her, but he had never moved. He stared at the sleeping figure in front of him, and started to ponder. Briseis had not responded when he added that they would be leaving if she was willing to. Instead, he had seen tears, and he knew that she was not. She wanted to stay in Troy together with her own family. How could she play with his heart? He had been told that she was willing to leave Troy the first time he asked her. But now...... The pain was unbearable. So, he did not join her in sleeping, but walked out of the tent in silence.  
  
He looked up at the sky. The moon was shining brightly. He remembered the moon in Phthia also shone brightly, as bright as the moon here. But they were so different. Perhaps they looked so different because he had changed? Sure Briseis had changed the lad a lot.  
  
He paced into Patroclus' tent.  
  
The moment he entered the tent, he knew his cousin was not asleep. He stood there in silence, waiting for his cousin's welcome.  
  
But the welcome did not come. So as any greetings.  
  
Instead, Patroclus said, 'What can I do?'  
  
'Do you love her?' the words came from a position that was closer to Patroclus.  
  
'I do,' the answer came off from his mouth swiftly.  
  
'Then, you must learn that the person you love may not always love you in return.' Achilles said coolly. 'The sooner you get over her, the sooner you will be free.'  
  
'When have you become so intelligent?' Patroclus asked hilariously.  
  
Achilles brought himself to chuckle softly. 'What is the underlying meaning of the words?'  
  
Both laughed halfheartedly. They both had their own worries.  
  
'I think we should sail back to Phthia tomorrow morning. Both of us shall leave our worries behind.' Achilles suggested.  
  
Patroclus did not want to leave, not when Chryseis was in danger. And besides, he could sense that there was something wrong with his cousin, 'What had happened between you and the girl Briseis?'  
  
'Nothing had happened,' Achilles said, smiling faintly under the dim light of the moon. 'I just think it's an appropriate thing to do to leave her behind with her own family.'  
  
Patroclus made no response, but he was sure that was not the only reason. He knew his cousin would be selfish when it came to relationships. But he also thought it might be good for himself to sail back to his homeland Phthia, to join his aunt Thetis, and leave the girl Chryseis behind.  
  
'I think I must get some rest, dear cousin. The sail tomorrow may not be a smooth one.' Said Patroclus peacefully, and closed his eyes.  
  
Achilles left the tent, he thought he had made the right decision.  
  
The next day, when Achilles woke up beside Briseis, he walked out of the tent straightly, trying hard not to look at the girl. And he was successful. He walked towards Patroclus' tent, but Eudorus had stopped him.  
  
'My lord, many of our men are sick.'  
  
Achilles frowned. 'Sick?' The Myrmidons were always strong and healthy.  
  
Eudorus' brows had furrowed too. 'Yes, they are all in awful shape. I'm afraid that we must delay our departure.'  
  
'Wait until the men recover. We will leave as soon as they are all in good physical shape.' Achilles said emotionlessly.  
  
He paced through the camp of the army. The usual crowded camp was deserted, and the thick morning mist held a bleak atmosphere. Achilles felt puzzled. It did not seem like that the Greeks had gone for war, as he would have heard their departure and, besides, there were some guards over different entrances of the armies of different kingdoms. He walked over to once of the guards and asked, 'what happened?'  
  
Achilles had sincerely hoped that Agamemnon had died in his bed, and the soldiers were mourning for him, but the answer of the guard disappointed him much, 'the men are sick.'  
  
Achilles was a bit worried about his men. Was it a plague?  
  
So, Achilles went secretly towards Agamemnon's ship, and stood in a dark corner. He would never enter the meeting hall, but he stood there, eavesdropping.  
  
And to his disgust, he heard the fat and greedy voice of Agamemnon. 'No, I will never give that Chryseis girl back.' In return, an old voice said, 'You should not have brutally ordered the priest of Apollo away. The Kings had already told you to behave well to the priest, and take the ransom!' '  
  
_Our priest, the seer Calchas._ Achilles realized.  
  
Apollo's priest? Who was Apollo's priest? The vision of Briseis' uncle Chryses had reminded him of that. Chryses was the priest of Apollo. He had come to Agamemnon and had asked for Chryseis back. But was refused by Agamemnon brutally. So, Chryses should have prayed to Apollo, and asked for help. So, Apollo must had heard the old man's prayer and let black bolts of plague flew on the Greece, making them sick.  
  
Achilles found the thing unfair. Agamemnon had offended the priest of Apollo, and now his Myrmidons also needed to suffer from the agony of the plague.  
  
So Achilles stepped into the meeting hall which kings were discussing about the matter. All of them looked astonished by the presence of the young prince of Phthia.  
  
'Appease the god, and return the daughter of Apollo's priest to him.' said Achilles straightforwardly, wasting no time, not knowing these words of him would angered Agamemnon so much that even Achilles himself would regret about saying them.  
  
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Help! The conversations of the characters are so difficult to write!  
  
I've had a hard time doing it.  
  
So, please, review. Thanks!  
  
Now, if I don't have 5 reviews for this chapter, I won't update! (smiling evilly)


	15. Countless Waves

Chapter 15  
  
Agamemnon was bewildered and embarrassed. But he had his way of concealing it by rage and fury, 'I would never let the girl Chryseis go; I'd have her mine, at home.'  
  
Achilles laughed at Agamemnon's ineffective obstinacy, ready to say some harsh words. But Agamemnon continued, 'But of course, I want the army saved and not destroyed. If I send her away, you must prepare for me, a prize of honour. For I cannot tolerate everyman looking at the eye-catching beauty you have in your arms, while I am sending my own war prize away, and long for it.'  
  
Achilles knew what the High King was implying, but he pretended not to, and showed no sign of anger. 'King of Kings, the most insatiate of all men,' he said sarcastically, 'how can I make you a new gift? Thebe is already plundered. I'm afraid that you must wait for the downfall of Troy, so that you can take your own brother's wife, Helen the Fair Cheeks.' He paused for a moment, taking in the enraged face of the King smugly. 'Just let the daughter of the priest go. And when the armies is restored again, go and batter down the gates of Troy and take your brother's wife for yourself to keep at your home Mycenae; or either working your loom or visiting your bed.'  
  
Agamemnon rose with anger, so as his brother Menelaus. Menelaus pointed at his own brother, the High King, and said, 'I know it. I know you have been wanting my Helen since you have seen her.'  
  
Agamemnon glared at Achilles, who was looking self-satisfied. He turned back at his brother, and barked back, 'Are you listening to this lying mouth of Achilles?' Menelaus immediately blushed with embarrassment in front of all the kings and excused himself out of the meeting hall.  
  
Agamemnon turned to look at Achilles, and tried to stay calm. His was already scheming another plan to take Briseis from Achilles' for his own keeping, as Briseis was even far more fairer than the girl Chryseis he was keeping. 'Oh, oh. For the sake of the army of Greece, I must return the girl back to the priest of Apollo.' Achilles frowned. Never had he seen Agamemnon this civilized. But the matter was settled, and Achilles strolled out of the hall swiftly, and had not noticed that Agamemnon had added more to his previous words, 'and when the she is sent back in the ship of mine, mannered by my own people, I will call for the lovely Briseis in your tent and take her, seeing that a flower of young girls that she is.'  
  
Achilles walked back into his tent, and found out that Briseis was already up, combing her smooth and silky hair.  
  
Without looking at her again, he said, 'Chryseis is leaving. Agamemnon promised to send her back.'  
  
Briseis found the news amazing. That means the young girl would be safe, and uncle Chryses need not be said and miserable. 'When is she going to leave?'  
  
'This afternoon. And when the curse of the army is lifted, the Myrmidons and I are going to sail back the Phthia.' Achilles said coldly. _Yes, without me._ Briseis thought sadly. She did not want the tears that had been welling up in her eyes to fall, as she would not show him how much he had hurt her. She would build up a strong image. So, bit her lower lip, which had been kissed by Achilles just a few days before.  
  
And Achilles, not getting any hint or clue from Briseis that she wanted to go with him, felt enraged again and strolled out of the tent to see Patroclus, and Briseis was again, left in his tent to ponder over her thoughts.  
  
Briseis had learnt a lot in those few days that she was captured. And one of them was to stay optimistic always. So, she fought back her tears and walked out of the tent slowly. The sky was grey and clouded, and the wind was howling madly. She walked towards the sea and felt relaxed at the cool sensation that the sea water gave her when she dipped her feet into it. Briseis breathed in the air deeply. It was just the same as before. She sat down, letting her body under her waist soaked in the cool salty waves. Maybe if she had killed him, everything would not be the same. _Yes, everything will be very different.  
_  
She sat there, thinking for a long time. Countless waves had brushed her body, until she was suddenly aware of the time. It was afternoon, and Chryseis would be leaving. She rose from her comfortable position, and walked towards a ship near Agamemnon's. It was predictable that that ship was the one they were going to use to send Chryseis back to Troy. She knew it was dangerous to go by chariot, and the ship would be sailing towards the back of the city. There Chryseis would enter the city.  
  
'Briseis...' Chryseis voice said behind her.  
  
Briseis turned and hugged Chryseis. She smiled at her. Chryseis whispered to Briseis in a secretive way that no one noticed, 'come with me back to Troy. No one would notice.'  
  
Briseis shook her head. Of course the guards would notice. Chryseis was too far behind to see.  
  
'Chryseis, tell Hector and Paris that I miss them very much,' Briseis said sorrowfully. 'Tell uncle Priam and your father that I love them with all my heart.'  
  
'I will. And please,' said Chryseis and lowered her voice, 'tell Patroclus not to worry for me.'  
  
Briseis smiled at Chryseis. Her young cousin had started to like someone.  
  
So the ship sailed away, and Briseis ran back into Achilles tent, and threw herself on the bed. She cried and kicked, feeling very frustrated. She had loved and given herself to someone that used her and did not love her in return; and Achilles would be leaving very soon, and she would have no place to go; She had betrayed Troy, and she could never face her uncles and cousins again. Never in her life had she felt this way. Her heart was scattered into pieces and pieces the more the thought of it. She lay on the bed, rested for a moment, and started to cry again. But somehow, this time, no tears had come out from her eyes. She wondered why.  
  
Briseis reached for the silver salver on the table and looked at herself. She looked horrible. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her hair was sticking to her face by the slightly dried salty tears. Her lips were bleeding a bit for she had bit her lips over and over again when she tried to let out the anger and frustration.  
  
_I want to die. I am going to die.  
_  
Losing her mind, Briseis dashed out of the tent madly and ran towards the sea. The sea that had taken uncountable lives, maybe even more than the warrior that she loved. But before she reached it, she was grabbed by two soldiers. The two soldiers that had taken her to Agamemnon's ship before. She could recognize them even they had been burned into ashes.  
  
One stuffed a large piece of cloth into her mouth, preventing her from screaming for help or producing any sounds. The other one dragged her towards the ship of the High King which she did not wished to see again. Anger had taken over her, and Briseis kicked one of the soldiers hardly when they brought her through the maze-like ship into Agamemnon's room. They let her go free and Briseis helped herself to remove the large piece of cloth from her mouth immediately.  
  
One of the soldiers, the one which had been kicked hardly by Briseis, whispered something to Agamemnon. And Agamemnon smiled wickedly.  
  
'Well, well, let me see.' Agamemnon said, looking at the girl. 'Why does my dear little flower want to commit suicide? Is it that you are intimidated by anyone?' He laughed at her teasingly, while the two soldiers snickered and left the room. 'Don't worry. I will take care of him.' He smiled slyly.  
  
'You sick, pigheaded swine!' Briseis cursed loudly, 'you have taken me from the tent of the prince of Phthia. Are you not afraid of your own dear life being taken away?'  
  
'Ah, I see. This is the problem.' He leaned down and lifted her head up, 'the prince gave you to me himself, oh mighty princess.' He laughed lightheartedly as Briseis felt her heart broke. How could Achilles do this to her? She had been willing to follow him around, but he sent her to this unendurable brute as a gift.  
  
The world beside her had started to swell. She felt so sick. She was tired of living.  
  
_If only I can die... If only I have been fast enough to reach the sea....  
_  
Meanwhile, Achilles roamed over the tents of the Myrmidons, but still he could not find the lovely Briseis. It was starting to get dark and he had not seen her since morning. He was starting to worry about her, although his heart was telling him not to care about that girl. But he care not, he would felt comfortable whenever he looked at her. And he needed her, now.  
  
_Maybe she had escaped. She doesn't want to leave Troy together with you._  
  
Achilles pushed aside the heartbreaking thought, and continued to search for Briseis. _Had she left the camp together with Chryseis?_ He was suddenly reminded by himself. Maybe she had. But he had to find out the truth. He had asked some of his Myrmidons, and they all said that they had not seen her since the departure of Chryseis. He walked towards the campsite of Ithaca, and asked the two guards if they had seen Briseis or not. They both looked at each other quizzically, and asked how the girl looked like.  
  
Achilles described Briseis in details accurately. The two guards said that they had seen the two cronies of Agamemnon dragging a girl like Achilles had described towards the ship of the High King.  
  
Without a word, Achilles had strolled towards the ship the second time of the day.  
  
He knew he had to save Briseis. Without her, Achilles' heart could not survive.  
  
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................  
  
So, Chryseis was finally sent away! Poor Patroclus...

Can Achilles save his only love?  
  
Find out in the next chapter!

Review! Thanks!


	16. Oracle came true

Hey! Here's your chapter 16! Exciting...  
  
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Chapter 16  
  
'What? Are you hurt?' said Agamemnon cruelly. 'This is the real character of the prince of Phthia. He bedded women, and casts them aside, leaving them be, not caring if they are beautiful or not.'  
  
Briseis shook her head with mistrust and disbelieve. She knew Achilles had grown tired of her already, but she could never imagine that he would give her to the brutal, uncivilized king Agamemnon.  
  
Agamemnon had continued to say the horrible and distressing words, but Briseis could not hear them. She knew the king of kings was very pleased with the defeated sight of her, but she could not help but looked disconsolate. She felt her breathe became more and more heavier until she thought she was suffocating. She tried very hard to breath in more air, but no matter how hard she tried to breath, the situation did not changed. She needed Achilles. He was what had caused her, suffocating. The sickly sweet feeling had made her that weak. She needed him desperately. She shut her eyes as tight as she could, and put her hands over her ears. She just wanted to block everything out. She just wanted to survive with her happy memories.  
  
_You can close your eyes to reality, but not to memories.  
_  
Hector's words rang through her mind again. And she knew he was right. She had closed her eyes to what was happening before her, she had put her hands over her ears so that she would not hear the harsh words of Agamemnon. But she could not stop the sad and miserable memories flooding her mind, taking over her: the memories of Thebe, the city that she had spent her lovely childhood; the memories of her cousins, which made her missed them even more; the memories of her love Achilles, which reminded her of him abandoning her, giving her to the monster in front of her.  
  
Briseis' thoughts were disturbed by the strong grab of Agamemnon on her collar. 'You are afraid of me now, aren't you?'  
  
'Never!' Briseis yelled at him strongly.  
  
Agamemnon's temper rose again. He slapped her right cheek forcefully, causing Briseis to tumble on the hard wooden floor loudly. Her left cheek stung. She was sure that there was a red mark on her face. 'Have you been thinking that I would not slap that pretty face of yours, but cherish it?' He laughed in a wheezing-like way. 'Yes, I cherish the beauty of yours. But after I've taken pleasure in your body, I'll enjoy myself slapping your face.'  
  
Agamemnon turned and walked out, slamming the golden framed rosewood door shut. Briseis felt weak. The world beside her suddenly seemed to swell and turn. Before she even knew, she fainted into the darkness of her memories.  
  
_......................................................................................_

__  
Achilles climbed the stairs leading to the entrance hall, fuming. He had already stepped on a few wooden stares so hard that they creaked and cracked. He strolled angrily towards the entrance of the hall. _How dare he take my Briseis?_  
  
'Lord Achilles, according to the High King, you are not allowed in!' said one of the two soldiers courteously, which were guarding the entrance of the meeting hall.  
  
Achilles had tried hard to control his fury, not to let it out on anyone except Agamemnon and his two cronies. But that soldier had gotten on his nerves, so he shoved him aside so hardly that he hit the deck with a loud 'thud'. That soldier groaned in pain, and the other soldier had to help him to get up. And before they looked up, Achilles had already gone into the hall.  
  
The hall was empty, which was natural, seeing that it was night. Achilles had thought of going down into the lower deck, to explore the maze-like ship and save Briseis himself. But Patroclus also could not find his way in the lower deck, so Achilles decided to call for the king instead. Achilles took in a deep breath and yelled for Agamemnon. Guards flooded into the hall at once, circling Achilles. He feared not, and just stood there, waiting for the High King to show up.  
  
At last, at a snail's pace, Agamemnon stepped into the hall. At once, Achilles felt his blood boiled. Agamemnon signaled the guards to leave the hall, and silently, yet hostilely, the two looked at each other.  
  
'Have you stolen my girl from me, again?' Achilles asked heatedly.  
  
Agamemnon smiled, and turned his back to Achilles. He did not answer, and that aggravated the already furious Achilles even more.  
  
But Achilles already knew the answer. Briseis was held by Agamemnon again. And he had also broken his promise: He had not protected her from harm, and he was desperate to have the girl back. 'The fighting is between you and me, so why do you have to take the girl? She should not be involved.'  
  
'But I think the girl is all that matters. She should be involved,' said Agamemnon pretending-to-be-wisely. 'I have done as you have said, sent the girl Chryseis back to the priest of Apollo. And that's the point. I have to take your girl to in order to fill the empty space of my portion of war prize. I am having the girl to make sure that it measures up.'  
  
Achilles felt himself nearly exploded with wrath. Agamemnon's words made him despise the king even more. And he was pondering: should he draw that silver sword of his, and kill the pigheaded Agamemnon? Or should he just threaten the King to give him back Briseis? He decided against the latter, as Agamemnon was always unmovable by mere words. So, he slid the blade swiftly from its sheath, ready to kill the king and end this fight of words between them. 'You leech! Commander of trash! You dogface with your cur's eyes and your antelope heart! Listen, this time, you must pay for your intolerably disgusting behavior with your own blood!'  
  
Fear took over the High King as he realized Achilles was serious. If he did not give the girl Briseis back to the young and irascible prince, his own blood would be shed by the sword Achilles was holding.  
  
So, as coward as he could be, Agamemnon called for his guards, and he ran down to the lower deck. Achilles had tried to shove away the guards, but they would not make way, so he killed them and ran after Agamemnon, following him slowly and quietly, hoping he could find and save Briseis. He could hear the panting of the king, and he followed him unnoticeably. Whenever Agamemnon turned around, Achilles would find a room or a corner to hide. A few times he had made some noise, but, to his surprise, Agamemnon was so dumb that he did not notice, and thought he was safe.  
  
After a few turns, Agamemnon stopped in front of a golden framed door, and entered.  
  
Judging by the luxurious door, Achilles knew at once that the room belonged to Agamemnon.  
  
He waited till he was sure Agamemnon would not come out again, and walked tentatively towards the door as quietly as he could be. Be bent down slowly, and peeked into the oversized keyhole. He felt his heart skipped a bit faster as he saw Briseis in the room. But worried swept over him the moment he realized that the girl was lying on the cold wooden floor unconsciously. His eyes searched for Agamemnon, but he could not find him. The king's bedroom was too big, and the keyhole only revealed so little of it. It was already very fortunate for the young prince to see his lover.  
  
When he was readied to slam open Agamemnon's heavy door, he heard Agamemnon speak: 'wake up, girl'  
  
There was no response from Briseis _Is she dead? What if she is? What will I do then?  
_  
Achilles froze for a moment, panicking. He immediately lowered himself to peep into to keyhole again. He saw Agamemnon walking over to Briseis, and kicked her hardly on the stomach. 'I said wake up!' Agamemnon yelled. To his relieve, Achilles saw Briseis stirred.  
  
So Achilles straightened up curtly, and his knees had knocked on the hard wooden door, producing a noise.  
  
'Who's that?' Agamemnon barked, 'haven't I told you not to come in after dinner? You guards are always useless! Now go away!'  
  
Achilles smirked at the silliness of the king. Most of Agamemnon's guards were already dead.  
  
Achilles turned to walked towards the opposite side of the corridor, wanting to make his way to kick the door open. But he was too careless. This time, the sword's sheath which was held to his back clashed a bit on the door, producing another noise.  
  
Achilles frowned, what was wrong with him? He was always known as being cautious.  
  
He heard moving sounds in the room. Agamemnon should have noticed that the person outside his door was Achilles. A person even stupider than the king should have known it. 'Shh...' He heard Agamemnon told Briseis not to make any noise, although Briseis was still lying on the floor weakly, unthreateningly.  
  
Achilles stood there, waiting for the door to open to see Agamemnon's frightened face. But, the third time of the day, Achilles was too careless. Too careless for his own good...  
  
The door opened slowly, and it did disclose a terrified-looking Agamemnon.  
  
Agamemnon kneeled to Achilles, and said, 'forgive, Prince of Phthia, for my offense and wrongdoing and harsh words.' He looked up at Achilles, and continued, 'I apologize for anything I have done that has upset you. And please, spare my life.'  
  
Achilles looked down upon the coward at his feet, and said disgustingly, 'Do you think you deserve my forgiveness?' The corner of his eyes noticed that Briseis sat up slowly and stretched herself a bit. He smiled inwardly. He would never let her go again, and would let her to decide her fate. Whether she loved him or not, he would protect her. He turned his head to look at her, and their eyes met.  
  
Agamemnon's actions drew his attention as he hugged his legs. 'Please, spare my life.'  
  
He heard Briseis screamed, and his head jolted up, turning his attention back to her, unaware of the wicked grin plastered on the king's face. Before he knew, he felt pain on his right heel, his vulnerable spot, and he lost all his strength. He fell on the floor slowly, and saw Agamemnon standing up. 'Today is a day to be remembered,' said Agamemnon hysterically, 'the great Achilles, dying in the hands of the all mighty king of kings, Agamemnon, because of a woman!' Agamemnon bent down, and pulled out the dagger that had stabbed his heel. He lowered the blade to his neck. Achilles closed his eyes and welcomed his death. He did not regret in coming for Briseis. At least he had been taught by her to love, to forgive, to spare. He had lived a happy live. And her mother had been right. He would never return to Phthia after he came to Troy.  
  
'No!' Briseis' scream rang in his ears. _I am sorry,_ Achilles thought silently, _I cannot save you from Agamemnon.  
_  
There was a blunt, yet loud noise, and he heard loud 'thud' on the floor next to him.  
  
He opened his eyes faintly, and saw Agamemnon lying next to him, knocked out. A pool of blood starting to from beside the king's head.  
  
Achilles smiled weakly. At least Briseis cared for him enough to try to save him from the swine. But it was no use. He had been stabbed on the one fatal point but all parts of his body. He smiled, contented, and felt Briseis hugged him to her chest.  
  
Achilles gratefully accepted her gentle and tender hug. He enjoyed the softness of Briseis, and smiled at her in the dim light of the candles in the room. He saw Briseis had tears in her eyes. He reached out to touch her soft cheeks, wanting to wipe away the tears. But Briseis closed her eyes.  
  
'Why must you come to save me? You should have left with your Myrmidons...' she said, and a tear fell onto his face.  
  
Achilles rested his head on her soft chest, and in a merely audible voice, whispered, 'because, I love you.' He felt another teardrop on his face, and he closed his eyes.  
  
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................  
  
Don't you worry! Achilles is not dead yet!  
  
I found that the scene that Achilles was following Agamemnon a bit too dramatic, isn't it?  
  
By the way, I'm leaving home for the airport in 15 minutes.  
  
Therefore, I'll not be updating for 6 days.  
  
So, _**PLEASE DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS THE END OF THE STORY!**_ Please!  
  
Anyway, please review!


	17. Lenient Oenone

Ah!!! I'm back! At last!

Shangri-La is a very beautiful place, very lovely.

It gives me lots and lots of ideas in writing this story....

Okay! Finally, the chapter you've been waiting for long.....  
  
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Chapter 17  
  
Briseis' eyes widened with fear and fret as Achilles' eyes closed slowly, breaking the only contact between the two souls. Achilles' hand fell to her lap, and she felt hopeless. But Briseis could not give up. She reached for Achilles' wrist on her lap, and felt his pulse. And to her surprise, there was his pulse! It was very weak, and she knew Achilles could not survive for long.  
  
She sat there, thinking of ways to help Achilles. There was little hope, and she needed time.  
  
But what she did not have now, was exactly she needed.  
  
I must take him back to the tent first. Briseis decided.  
  
So, she found a rope and tied up Agamemnon, and she tried to lift her lover up. Achilles was very heavy, and she could not move him. She stood there helplessly, with tears brimming in her eyes. Her lover was on the verge of dying, and yet, she could do nothing about it.  
  
But she had her legs, and she decided to waste no time. Out of the maze- like ship she ran, leaving traces of blood on the corridor as a symbol to find her way back. Through the meeting hall of the ship she ran. She climbed down stairs which were cracked and jumped onto the sand clumsily. She ran towards the campsite of the Myrmidons, tripped when she arrived. To her luck, Eudorus was there to help her up.  
  
'Good to see you back, my lady,' greeted Eudorus, delighted to see Briseis back. Achilles had been throwing tantrums on everyone he saw and the girl could stop the act of his lord.  
  
'Achilles...' Briseis panted, 'Achilles...'  
  
'He's in the tent.' Said Eudorus.  
  
'No! He's in Agamemnon's ship. He is dying!' Briseis said hurriedly. 'You must save him!'  
  
Eudorus looked at Briseis anxiously. 'Our lord is immortal. He won't die.'  
  
'His heel...' Briseis reminded.  
  
Eudorus closed his eyes with frustration. 'Go call for Patroclus and the men. We are going to take him out. You must lead the way.'  
  
Briseis shook her head, 'No, I've left traces of blood on the corridors. Follow them, and you can find your lord. Then take her to the tent. I'll find help. ' She ordered, then turned and ran. She knew exactly what she must do.  
  
Briseis ran to the edge of the beach, and looked around. The nearest tents belonged to the Myrmidons. No one would see her left. She walked on the rocks near the cliff carefully, and slowly, she reached a cave.  
  
This cave was discovered by Hector, Paris, Chryseis, and her in the adventurous time of their childhood. Briseis climbed a few rocks, and fitted herself through the cave. It was not really a cave actually. To be exact, it was a tunnel. Except the four, no one knew about this tunnel. This tunnel led to the woods behind the walls of Troy.  
  
It was pitch dark inside the passageway. Briseis had always thought of it as wide when she was young, but now, she had grown a lot and found that the tunnel was actually quite narrow, although she could fit in. The tunnel twisted and turned. Briseis hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor. After a few hundreds of steps, there was a marble door, but was very old and looked it had never been used for hundredths of years. She was already under the city of Troy, and she was starting to go up the hill as the tunnel began to rise.  
  
It took ages, and Briseis was weak. She could feel her legs were not under her control anymore, and were moving by themselves faintly. She wanted to increase the speed, but her pace became slower and slower instead. At last, she came to an opening.  
  
The exit was on a very large and old oak tree. Slowly but intent-to-be- hurriedly, Briseis climbed out. It was already dawn. The moon was setting the sun was gradually rising. The sky was pink without any clouds. Briseis breathed in deeply and started to make her way towards a cave nearby.  
  
'Oenone!' Briseis said loudly when she reached the cave.  
  
And out of the cave walked a beautiful lady. She had blond hair, and green eyes. She was wearing a beautiful green gown, which match the colour of her eyes. 'Oh, my dear!' said the lady. She had a singing voice like the birds. 'It's been years since I've seen you! You looked even fairer than the last time I saw you. I thought you couldn't be any more prettier.'  
  
Oenone was a wood nymph that was friends with Briseis. She had been living in the same cave in the woods since Briseis first met her. Oenone had a talent for healing any mortals even on they were on the verge of dying. And that was the reason Briseis came.  
  
But Briseis knew it would be very hard to convince the nymph the heal Achilles, seeing that Oenone had been deserted by her lover that had swore to love her. Ever since then, Oenone swore not to heal any man.  
  
Achilles was a man. Not just a man, but had been a womanizing one. It was even more difficult to ask the wood nymph to do that.  
  
Briseis hugged Oenone back. 'Yes, it's been a long time.' She forced a smile at the nymph. 'You never grow old. Only your beauty within grows.'  
  
Oenone smiled at the compliment, but said miserably, 'beauty, to me, worth nothing but like trash. I need beauty no more.'  
  
Briseis did not know what to say to comfort her friend. 'Have you saved any man since then?'  
  
Oenone shook her head, and a fire of rage burned in her green eyes, 'No. Men are too filthy to be healed under my hands. I have sworn not to touch any of them again.'  
  
'How about a demigod?' asked Briseis suggestively.  
  
'My decision will still stand,' said Oenone shortly. She suddenly turned to look at Briseis suspiciously. 'Why do you come here? Are you going to ask me to heal a man?'  
  
Briseis looked down at her worn feet, and nodded softly.  
  
Oenone sighed heavily, and asked in a more gentle tone, 'who is this man? Is he important to you? Hector? I can consider of healing him, seeing that he is also one of my friends. But don't ask me about the womanizing Paris.'  
  
Briseis shook her head softly, 'No... he's important to me... in another way.'  
  
Oenone's brows furrowed. 'No. I will not heal him. I will not save your lover.'  
  
Briseis knelt down at Oenone's feet. 'I love him!' she said, and a tear slowly slid down her face. 'I-'  
  
'You must learn that men are always unreliable and unsettled! He will leave you as soon as he is tired of you!' Oenone cut Briseis off heatedly.  
  
Briseis closed her eyes. 'Please.' Achilles' dying face flashed through her mind. 'I can die for him... I am willing to...'  
  
Oenone's features softened. Her friend was in love. In love so deeply that she would not even care for herself. It was proved by her feet. It was blistered and worn. There were wounds on it, and they were bleeding hard. Oenone felt like crying. She would never have loved the man as much as Briseis had loved Achilles. Maybe she should not blame the whole world of men because of one man's wrongdoing. She lowered herself at Briseis' feet, and with a warm glow of light from her palm, Briseis' feet were healed.  
  
'Who is this man?' Oenone asked Briseis gently. 'This man is so fortunate to have my lovely friend Briseis to love him so much to die for him.'  
  
'His name is Achilles.' Briseis answered tentatively, hoping Oenone could accept the fact that her friend was in love with a womanizer. 'Please,' Briseis begged, 'save him.'  
  
Oenone frowned and shook her head. Quietly, as though any words could bread Briseis apart, she said, 'Briseis... you know I cannot save him. Maybe this man is just playing with you,' Briseis felt the hot tears streaming down again. 'Oenone, please.'  
  
'This man was born for the war; he was prophesied to die here. Maybe the day has come.'  
  
Briseis looked at the grass and remained silent. Achilles' life was slowly washing away by time every second, and yet she could not do anything to convince her friend to save him. She felt so useless.  
  
'Maybe he's gone already.'  
  
'No!' Briseis screamed. She could not bear to know it. A pain-like grief weighed on her already weak and delicate body, and she collapsed, collected by the soft, green grass. 'If Achilles is dead, I shall die too.' She said. 'Oenone, if you are not willing to save him, at least give me a deadly poison.' Briseis asked. If she went back to the tent and found that Achilles was dead, she would use the poison to end her dear life.  
  
Oenone stood up, and walked into her cave. Briseis was already very grateful. Oenone's poison was always very sweet and would let one die peacefully. Oenone seldom used the poison, as they were precious, and there were only a few.  
  
To her astound, Oenone returned with two vials. She hand them to Briseis, 'Briseis. This is an exception. I am saving your man because I cannot bear to see my dear friend to wept or cry. I would never like to see you die too.'  
  
She hand her a glass vial that was with a crystal stopper. 'This is the poison of the flower of the oak tree. It's a deadly poison. One drop, can already kill a village of people. I hope you don't need it, but keep it.' According to men, oak trees never had any flowers. But they did not know that a certain oak tree, the oak tree that Briseis had emerged from the tunnel, had flowers that may blossom once a thousand years, and it was made into the poison that was handed to Briseis.  
  
Another vial had cork stopper. 'A drop of this vial can save any mortal who is on the verge of dying.'  
  
Oenone turned to walk back to her cave. But before she entered, she said, 'There is a horse, Aethion, in my stable. You know which one?' Briseis nodded. 'It's a gift from Penthesilea, the queen of the Amazons. She goes as fast as the wind. When you get there, just tell her to go home. She can find her way back.'  
  
Briseis thanked her and hurried to the stable. There stood a pure white horse with green eyes. 'You master asked you to lend me a ride.'  
  
Aethion let Briseis mounted, and, swift as the wind, raced towards the Aegean's camp. Briseis was surprised. She did not even told the mare where did she wanted to go, and Aethion already knew. So Aethion stopped before Achilles tent in a moment, and Briseis dismounted. She patted Aethion, and told her to go back to Oenone, which the mare did.  
  
Briseis turned and hurried towards the tent of Achilles. She felt afraid. What if Achilles was already dead? She would then be needing the poison... But she did not want to die yet...She wanted to be alive, together with Achilles, and had a wonderful life spending time with him.  
  
She paused in front of the tent, and after a deep breath, flew the flaps open.  
  
The first person she saw was Patroclus. He looked sad and down with a face with grief, 'Briseis...'  
  
Briseis felt her heart stopped beating.  
  
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Now I cannot promise you that Achilles won't die.... (Smiles evilly)  
  
Anyway, please review if you want to know what is coming.  
  
Thanks! ;)


	18. Everyman Dies

Hey! Thanks for the reviews very much!  
  
Therefore, I decided not to make Achilles die...  
  
Anyway, Chapter 18...  
  
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Chapter 18  
  
'Is he gone?' Briseis nearly screamed out.  
  
Patroclus left the tent without a word. Briseis felt the last trace of hope had faded away into the thin air. Maybe Oenone was right. Achilles' time had done.  
  
Briseis walked towards the bed unstably. It seemed like every move of her had to take all her strength. She bent down to look at Achilles. His face was pale and white. His eyes were sunken and his lips looked purplish. Yet there was a trace of smile on his lips. _Perhaps he is still happy to have me to hug him when he dies..._ Briseis thought.  
  
Eudorus was there too. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, feeling Achilles' pulse. Quietly, as though a word could make Achilles' soul leave his body, Eudorus said, 'My lady, we must prepare for my lord's death. He is still alive, but-'  
  
'He is still alive?' Briseis asked, a light forming in her already darkened mind again.  
  
'He still has his pulse, but-'  
  
Briseis sighed with relieve. Quickly she took out the vial with the cork stopper. And she hesitated. _One drop can heal a mortal man..._ But it is to put on the wound, or to make him drank it? Briseis did not care, and slowly dropped a few drops of the elixir onto the wound on Achilles heel (the dagger was already removed). And, as though it would not be enough, Briseis poured a more than a few drops of the elixir into Achilles' mouth. Eudorus looked puzzle, as he could not understand what Briseis was doing to his lord.  
  
'My lady, we had done all we can. We have tried all our best herbs. There is no use...'  
  
'This, is the potion from the wood nymph. It can heal any mortal even he is deadly hurt.' Briseis said with a soft smile. Knowing that Achilles was already saved made her feel a lot better.  
  
Eudorus looked at the vial in amusement. He smiled gratefully at Briseis and left the tent. Leaving her with Achilles alone.  
  
Briseis looked at her lover. He looked better now. Oenone's vial of life elixir was working. Achilles had come back to life. Briseis smiled and wanted to cry again. But tears could not fall anymore. She had cried so much these two days that her eyes could not afford to produce anymore tears. She looked at the two vials in her hands. She looked at the once inviting looking vial of deadly poison. _I won't be needing you anymore_. Briseis thought triumphantly. She looked back at Achilles and watched him rested on his bed. _I do hope he can wake up soon..._ Briseis bent down to kiss his lips softly in a caring and loving way.  
  
He was awake. Briseis could feel Achilles returning her kiss. His arms snaked their way around Briseis' waist and lifted her up on to of him, drawing her into a more passionate kiss. They had been kissing for sometime, until both were breathless and drew apart.  
  
'How long have you been awake?' Briseis asked softly.  
  
'I've awaken after you put those few drops of potion on my wound. I could feel you pour an amount of that thing into my mouth. It tastes awful,' he answered, caressing her left cheek gently. 'But your sweet kiss had balanced it up.'  
  
'You should have opened your eyes as soon as you're awake! You have been making me worried!' Although Briseis was scolding, the volume of the words was merely audible.  
  
'I was curious to know what you will do after Eudorus leave the tent,' he informed her. Briseis pouted, 'this is not an excuse.'  
  
They were disturbed by the entering of Patroclus, 'My dear cousin! I though you were...' Patroclus noticed their comfortable position, 'you were...... sorry.' The couple burst out laughing while Patroclus' face went beet red.  
  
Achilles wrapped his arms around Briseis' waist, and sat up. 'I'm alright,' he said readily.  
  
'Yes, I can see that, judging by the way you two...' Patroclus blurted out, and turned to leave.  
  
Briseis smiled at Patroclus' uncomforting expression and scrambled off the bed. 'I'm going home.' Briseis said miserably as Achilles' eyes widened with fear. _She is leaving me?_ Achilles thought, and he felt his heart sank again. Briseis had saved him, yet she was leaving him. '...Why?' Achilles asked her, infuriated. 'Why are you leaving? I thought you had promised to leave with me to Greece as long as I leave this war behind!'  
  
Briseis shook her head. 'You don't need to do this just because I've saved your life. It's okay for me. I can handle this.' Briseis said, tears welling up in her eyes again. But as long as Achilles lived, she would feel happy. She did not need him to care for her, to love her. Just to see him live was enough to make her felt comforted.  
  
'What is that? I want you to come! You've promised! I need you!' Achilles yelled at her like a little child. He jumped off the bed and held her so forcefully and tightly that she could not even move or flinch with pain. Achilles realized from the pained look on Briseis' angelic face, that he had held her to tight. He released his grip a bit and said, as gentle as he could be, 'I love you.'  
  
Briseis couldn't help but to let her tears fell. _Achilles loves me? Oh yes! He had said so in Agamemnon's ship!_ But Briseis had been too worried to remember his words. Achilles bowed his head and nuzzled her forehead. 'Come with me to Phthia.' Kissing her forehead softly, he added, 'I will marry you as my wife, if you are willing to. You can find peace there.'  
  
Was Achilles' proposing? Briseis did not know. She only knew that Achilles wanted her, and she liked the feeling to be desired by him. 'Oh yes, I will come with you to Phthia.' She tilted her head up, and their lips locked again.

..........................................  
  
Achilles opened his eyes a bit. He felt so warm...  
  
Fuzzily, he looked at the source of the warmth. A mass of silky chestnut brown hair appeared in front of his eyes. _Briseis,_ Achilles realized. He closed his eyes again, and breathed in her delicate scent. She smelt of jasmines and lily. Her breath was soft, and it tickled his bare chest. He smiled contently; it felt so good to have her in his arms. She looked so fragile and precious, like a goddess, and he did not want to leave her. Silently, he vowed to protect the gripping beauty as long as he lived.  
  
He shifted a bit, wanting the girl to lie in his strong arms more comfortably. Briseis snuggled closer to him, and he held her tighter.  
  
It was still dawn, and the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful. Today, the Myrmidons and Achilles, together with Briseis would sail back to Greece, and Achilles loved the thought of having a family with Briseis. He sighed and thought of the old days when he was still an unsettled and irresponsible man. According to Briseis, he had almost lost his life (as Oenone had not wanted to save men, especially those who were like Achilles. But of course, Briseis had left out the part that she had 'threatened' her friend using her own life, as she knew Achilles would tease her for that) because of his womanizing habits before he came to Troy.  
  
Achilles wondered what might happen years afterwards, when Briseis and he were old man and old woman. Would they die together, hand in hand? He smiled at his own thoughts and silliness. He had never thought of his own future before, as he had always thought his life would be ended by this war. But miracle had happened; he was saved by Briseis' wood nymph friend.  
  
Briseis' eyelids fluttered open gradually. Her long land glossy lashes had brushed Achilles' chest, catching his attention.  
  
'Good morning, my goddess,' Achilles said, greeting her with a soft and gentle kiss on her forehead. 'It's nice to see you open your eyes again.' He smiled, 'I thought you'd spent most of your life sleeping.'  
  
Briseis closed her eyes again. 'I will do as you have said.' She said hazily.  
  
Achilles grinned, and stared at the girl. A 'tournament' started by Briseis and they were seeing who would be speaking first. Achilles, being as childish as he could be, joined. Silence took over them, and Achilles waited for, like ages. He listened as Briseis' breaths became more and more even, and his face fell. His mind was racing:  
  
_Briseis has drifted off to asleep again..._  
  
He huffed a bit. He, of course, would be the one losing the little game between the two. The most important thing was, he had never lost any competition in his life, and he never wanted to lose. He laughed at his immaturity; he had been acting like a child a few times since Briseis had stepped into his life.  
  
He chuckled a bit. It did not matter that he lost the game between Briseis and him. He would be the happiest man ever lived as long as he could hold Briseis in his arms. Slowly and quietly, he slid off the bed, not wanting to disturb the sleep of his lover.  
  
He got dressed and exited the tent.  
  
'Good morning, my lord,' Eudorus greeted him. Eudorus was always the first one to rise among all Myrmidons.  
  
'How are the men?' Achilles asked quietly, not wanting to break the peaceful scene.  
  
'They are well. The return of Chryseis had eased the anger of the Sun God,' Eudorus replied, 'They had been very worried about you.'  
  
Achilles snorted. There was no point to be worried about a dying man. Except perhaps for his lover... 'Every man dies.' Achilles stated simply, as if it was a theory that anyone would accept. 'By the way, we are sailing home today.'  
  
Achilles headed for Patroclus' tent. He stood in front of his cousin's tent, not yet ready to go in. How would Patroclus react when he found out that they were leaving today? Would he give up Briseis' cousin? Achilles decided not to go into the tent. The situation might be too complicated for him to handle. Maybe he could find Briseis for help. Briseis was gentler, and was definitely more suitable to handle this kind of situations. Achilles' thoughts turned to his only love. How would the girls in Phthia react when they find out that Achilles have fallen in love with Briseis? They would be jealous. He would never deny that he loved to sleep with women, and they had always loved to give him such pleasure. But having Briseis was more than enough. She had satisfied him (not just physically, OK?) that he felt he would never asked for more. Nothing, glory or power or wealth could compare to her love. Never in his life had he thought he would give up those things just for a woman's love. If Briseis did not love him, he would not know what to do.  
  
The sun's position was a bit higher than the time he had left his own tent. He wondered if Briseis was awake or not. He entered the tent quietly, only to find Briseis already dressed and was combing her soft curls with her fingers. He smiled at the sight. Starting from now, he would look at Briseis every morning, sitting on the edge of the bed, combing her silky soft curls under the streaks of gleaming sunlight from the window.  
  
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I know, I know, this chapter is really useless, because I have the feeling that it is... 

OMG, I can't think of anything to write to chain up the other part of the story that I had been planning for a long time...  
  
Anyway, review!  
  
Thank you very much. 


	19. Back to Troy

Hi there! Here's your chapter 19!!!  
  
To Trojans and CaDedra:  
  
I'm delighted to know that you're starting the FF! I promise I will drop by when I have time...  
  
Enjoy the story now...  
  
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Chapter 19  
  
Briseis looked up from her own chestnut brown hair to the entering of Achilles. He seemed to be in a good mood, which was not often seen those days.  
  
'What are you smiling at?' Briseis asked.  
  
Achilles walked over to her. 'We are sailing home today.'  
  
'Today...' said Briseis.  
  
Achilles assured her. 'Today.'  
  
'Have you talked to Patroclus?' Briseis asked softly.  
  
Achilles shook his head. 'Would you help me to do it?' he asked her softly. He sat down next to her and put his arms around her waist, hugging her to him. He kissed her temple softly, begging her to do him the flavor. 'Why don't you do it yourself?' Briseis said naughtily.  
  
'I don't know how to handle those situations.' Achilles informed, 'Patroclus is in love with your cousin.'  
  
'You're afraid that he doesn't want to leave her behind?' Briseis said more than asked. Before Achilles could answer, Briseis stood up and left Achilles' tent.  
  
Briseis started to get a bit nervous when she was in front of Patroclus' tent. 'Patroclus? Are you in there? It's Briseis!' Briseis asked for the permission to enter Achilles' cousin's tent, like she had always done in troy before entering her uncle Priam's room.  
  
Patroclus' head poked out from the flaps. Briseis could see that his face was a bit dull, not as lively as he was before. Was it because of Chryseis?  
  
'Come in,' Patroclus said, holding the flaps to himself and made way for her.  
  
Briseis did as she was asked to. 'What is it?' Patroclus asked.  
  
'Have anyone informed you that we are going to leave today?' Briseis asked softly, reaching out for Patroclus' hands naturally, to her, as a gesture of comfort. Patroclus looked even wearier than he had been. He shook his head, and sat on the bed sulkily.  
  
'Do you love her?' Briseis asked. It seemed like that every words came out from her mouth today ended with an interrogation.  
  
Patroclus blushed a bit, but shook his head again, this time, in Briseis' eyes, ruefully. The answer was obvious to everyone. Briseis smiled bitterly. _Young love..._ Briseis thought, not aware that she was at the same age with Patroclus.  
  
'Would you like to see her?' Briseis suggested, paying no heed to Patroclus' response.  
  
'No,' Patroclus lied lamely, 'besides, your proposal is too platonic.'  
  
'It is possible, if we have time.' Briseis said, talking gibberish.  
  
Like he was going to win a great victory in a certain war, hope appeared in the young man's eyes again. 'Really?' Patroclus asked enthusiastically. 'Wait for me. I'll be back in a moment.'  
  
Briseis raced out of Patroclus' tent back to Achilles'. She dashed through the entrance.  
  
Achilles was washing his face (again). Briseis hugged his waist from behind. Achilles jolted up like he was being jabbed from behind. Briseis seldom did this to him. She was quite shy and timid in some certain situations, like she had always been the passive and submissive one when it came to things like love or sex. Achilles turned and looked at the petite girl. His face was still dripping with water and he just stared at her, rendering speechless. Briseis stared back at him perplexed by his reactions.  
  
Achilles wiped his face using his sleeve. 'Yes?' he asked, 'What is it?'  
  
'When are we going to leave?' Briseis asked.  
  
'Why do you want to know it?' Achilles inquired.  
  
'I am planning to go back to Troy,' Briseis asked, watching Achilles' expression changed. 'Patroclus and I are going to see Chryseis...'  
  
Achilles smiled relieved. 'This evening, when the sun has set, I guess.'  
  
'Good. Are you going to come too?' Briseis asked eagerly.  
  
Maybe it would be good to stay with Briseis. But the Myrmidons were leaving this evening, and he needed to be there. So Achilles said no, and warned Briseis to come back before evening, like he was warning a little girl who was going out to play with other children, to beware of the wolves.  
  
So Briseis and Patroclus set off towards the edge of the beach, and found the cave which led to the oak tree in the woods at the back of the city Troy.  
  
Briseis suited into the passageway comfortably, while Patroclus found the tunnel, which was a bit muddy and narrow, very unappealing. They hurried along the tunnel, and again, it took a long time. Becoming impatient, Patroclus started to curse a bit when they were walking in the dark, after his head had hit the rocks on the top of the passage a few times. Briseis did not response to his curses, or told him to stop. She laughed at the young man's immaturity secretly. Patroclus was so much alike with Achilles.  
  
Briseis stopped abruptly when she knew they had reached the door that led to the dungeon of the palace of Troy. The sudden move caused Patroclus nearly stumbling on her. Patroclus cursed under his breath again, although he did not know who he was cursing.  
  
'We've arrived.' Briseis smiled when she imagined Patroclus pleased face.  
  
And indeed, Patroclus was delighted to know the information. Briseis pushed the hard marble door, but it did not move. She tried harder, but still, it did not move.  
  
'What is it?' Patroclus said in the dark.  
  
'I can't get the door open,' Briseis said, panting.  
  
Patroclus said, 'May I try?'  
  
So Briseis gratefully moved aside and let Patroclus to do the flavor. And the door was pushed open easily. Briseis gaped at Patroclus' strength. They went inside, and Patroclus pushed the door back to its original place.  
  
They were in a dungeon, a room that stored the ashes of the previous kings and royalties. Briseis swiftly went to her father's place, and bowed at it.  
  
'He's my father.' Briseis answered the question in Patroclus' heart when they exited the room. 'He loved me.' Briseis said sorrowfully.  
  
Patroclus scratched his head, not knowing how to respond to Briseis' words. Fortunately (for Patroclus), Briseis said, 'Come, this way.'  
  
Briseis walked through the maze-like corridors of the palace swiftly. She had been in the palace of Troy so often that she thought she knew the way even more than in the palace of Thebe. She had spent most of her days here when she was young. His father, together with uncle Chryses, would brought Chryseis and her to visit her cousins. The four children, as close as brothers and sisters, would play hide and seek in the palace. It had always been difficult to find the others, as the palace was so big. But when the days grew a bit older, they were all familiar with the place, and they would know which spot was good for hiding and which were not. They would chase each other around, not paying attention to the looks of the servants. The elder sister of Hector and Pairs, Cassandra, had always despised them of running around the palace like savages. But Cassandra was always a very loving and caring lady, and she was very mature. Cassandra treated everyone kindly, except Paris, and there was an underlying reason that Briseis could detected, although what was that about, Briseis did not know.  
  
Briseis and Patroclus kept on walking through the corridors, and the servants and guards looked shocked to see Briseis there, together with another young man.  
  
After a few tens of turns and twists, they reached Chryseis' bedroom door. Both Briseis and Chryseis had a bedroom in the palace of Troy, as they stayed there often.  
  
Briseis knocked tentatively.  
  
'Who? Is it Hector?' In came the soft and bored voice of her younger cousin Chryseis. 'Come in.'  
  
Briseis threw open the door. 'Chryseis...' Briseis said.  
  
Chryseis had been looking out of the window when they entered. But after she heard the voice of Briseis, she turned sharply and found that in her room stood two people that she had been missing so much those few days.  
  
Chryseis ran to Briseis, and gave her a warm embrace. No words were said until Briseis turned, starting to leave the room, 'Chryseis, I'm going to leave Troy today. I'm going to see uncle Priam, Hector and Paris.' She gave Patroclus a reassuring pat on his left shoulder, and walked out of the large wooden door swiftly to find her dear uncle and cousins.  
  
Briseis paced on the always familiar corridor. This was a place she called home. Her memory had held too many years of happiness taking place in here. Briseis found it quite hard to leave this place behind. But being with Achilles made her feel so special, so strong... She knew she could not ever leave Achilles too. Maybe leaving her homeland for a new place might be a new adventure for her memory.  
  
Lost in her own thoughts and strong feelings, Briseis nearly walked passed the door leading to Priam's study room. She stopped abruptly. She did not enter the room yet, but studied the door in details. It would be the last time she was in this palace, gazing at the hard rosewood door after all. Tentatively, she raised her hand and knocked on the door softly.  
  
'Come in,' said Priam. His voice seemed to be older and weaker than the last time she heard it, when she was telling her uncle that she had decided to be a priestess.  
  
Briseis pushed the door open. But Priam did not look up from the letter he was holding. Briseis was not surprised by Priam, as he was always attentive, no matter what he was doing. Briseis closed the door behind her. She walked towards Priam's turned back.  
  
'Uncle Priam,' Briseis said.  
  
'What is it, Chryseis? You are always coming into my room these few days, after you have come back from the Aegean Camp. Is there something wrong?' Priam paused for a moment, 'although you have denied it a several times, I still know there is something wrong.'  
  
'Uncle Priam,' Briseis said again.  
  
Priam turned to face Briseis at last. 'Oh, Briseis, it's you.' He chuckled a bit, 'Your voice is so much alike with Chryseis'.' He chuckled a bit more, and suddenly stopped. 'Briseis?' Priam asked skeptically.  
  
Briseis nodded and smiled as Priam's old and wrinkled face seemed to lighten up. 'Oh! Briseis! You are back at last!' Priam jumped up flabbily from his chair, and hugged Briseis. And of course, Briseis hugged the skinny old man back.  
  
'How are you, uncle?' Briseis could see that the war was worrying Priam a lot.  
  
'I'm fine, very fine to see you.' Priam said cheerfully.  
  
'Why are they giving you back?' Priam added, curious to know why the Greek would give his flower-like beautiful niece back without any demand.  
  
Briseis looked at the carpeted floor. She did not want to disappoint the man, but she had to tell him the truth, 'Uncle Priam, I'm leaving Troy.'  
  
Priam looked sad, as Briseis had expected, but smiled at her. 'I've heard of it from Chryses. I bid you a safe journey to Greece.' Priam sat on his chair. 'Go and see Hector and Paris, sure they will have a lot to tell you.'  
  
'Farewell, uncle.' Briseis said, and turned to walk out of the room.  
  
'I've to pay attention to the letter, by the way,' Briseis heard her uncle muttered under his breath.  
  
Briseis left the room wordlessly, and hurried through the corridors. It was already a few hours after noon. The time taken to walk the tunnel was too long. Briseis and Patroclus must start to go back to the Greek's camp before the sun started to set. Time was running short, and Briseis must hurry.  
  
Briseis knocked at the oak door of Hector and Andromache's bedroom. The door opened, and revealed the caring face of Andromache. Astyanax was in her arms, and she nearly dropped her cute little baby boy when she saw Briseis. Andromache stood there for a moment, looking in Briseis' eyes, shocked by the sudden presence of her in the palace. 'Briseis!' Andromache nearly screamed out her name with joy.  
  
'What?' in came the deep, calm and mature voice of Briseis' cousin. And before Briseis could say a word, Hector was already standing next to Andromache, looking astound too.  
  
Three had stood there like this for a moment, looking at each other like there was no tomorrow, until Briseis broke the silence, 'Hector, Andromache...' Briseis said, smiling at them.  
  
Without a word, Hector hugged Briseis so tightly that Briseis thought she could not breathe. Andromache did not hugged Briseis, as she was holding the baby, but she smiled and let the tears of happiness fell.  
  
'Oh, my dear Briseis,' Andromache said, sniffing, 'I thought I can never see you again.'  
  
'And now you are looking at me again, just like before.' Briseis replied when Hector 'released' her.  
  
'Are you hurt?' Hector asked before Andromache could.  
  
Briseis shook her head. 'They treated me well, my dear Hector and Andromache. There's no need to worry about me.' Briseis said, looking out of their bedroom window. She still have some little time to talk with them.  
  
Hector patted her head, a caring structure that he always and only did to Briseis but anyone. Briseis smiled, and said, 'I come here to bid you goodbye.' Hector and Andromache were not surprised. Instead, they both nodded knowingly. 'Ah, young love.' Hector said teasingly. Briseis' mouth hung open. How did he know?  
  
Andromache smiled and said, 'Chryseis had told us everything; so as your uncle Chryses.'  
  
Hector kissed his young cousin's forehead. 'I wish you to have a good and happy family.' He whispered.  
  
Andromache kissed Briseis' cheeks also. But she said, merely a whisper, 'Thanks for saving my husband's life.'  
  
Briseis shook her head; she knew she was leaving not just because of Hector's life. She turned to the little boy in Andromache's arms, and cooed, 'How's my little Astyanax? Hope you have missed me a lot.' She kissed the forehead of the baby softly, and also Hector and Andromache's cheeks, and turned to leave.  
  
'When the war is over, which may be very soon, we will come to Phthia to visit you.' Briseis smiled at Hector's words. He always knew what to say at the right moment. She waved at them, and ran off to find Paris.  
  
Paris' room was near, and she reached it in a few minutes. She knocked on the door, but there was no one inside. So Briseis turned to go back to Chryseis' room to find Patroclus. She had no time left. It would be a regret not to see her most playful cousin before she left.  
  
Briseis reached Chryseis' bedroom door, and pressed her left ear on the door, hoping that she would not disturb any romantic scenes. Fortunately, she could hear the two talking, although the words could not be heard clearly. So Briseis knocked at the door.  
  
The door opened almost immediately, and it was Patroclus that had opened it cautiously. It was dangerous to be in the enemies' castle after all. 'We must leave now.' Briseis said hurriedly.  
  
Patroclus looked at Chryseis miserably. Chryseis nodded.  
  
To Briseis' surprise, Achilles' quite shy cousin walked back to kiss her own cousin in the lips. The kiss lingered for a few seconds, and Patroclus whispered, in a loving voice, that he would come back to visit Chryseis after the war ended. Chryseis cried a bit, and Patroclus wiped her tears. Briseis wanted to cry too. She knew it would be very sad to see her lover leave too. Briseis turned to walk out of the room. It would be better to wait outside of the room.  
  
Patroclus came out very soon, followed by Chryseis. Chryseis hugged Briseis, and said, 'I wish you have a joyful life. May Poseidon bless your sail.'  
  
The two left Chryseis reluctantly. They walked back to the dungeon to the storeroom of the king's and royalties' ashes in silent. After Patroclus had pulled open the marble door and the two entered the tunnel Patroclus hated so much, Briseis decided to break the silent. 'You've lied.' She said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.  
  
'When? I seldom lie.' Patroclus answered bluntly, and sniffed a bit.  
  
'You've told me you didn't love her.' Briseis teased.  
  
'You've known the answer from the start.' Patroclus said sensitively, and Briseis was a bit shocked by his answer.  
  
The walk in the passageway was silent, except for the frequent curses of Patroclus when he hit the top of the tunnel over and over again. Briseis noticed that Patroclus had hit the top of the tunnel a lot more than the time when they came; and he hit it even more hardly.  
  
_It must be love..._ Briseis realized.  
  
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It was the longest chapter that I've ever written!  
  
Hope it doesn't seem to be a bit dumb!  
  
Review! Thanks!


	20. Hector and Andromache

Hey! I don't understand why you all aren't reviewing the last chapter...

But anyway, I'm to update...

Thank you so much! Trojans and Jack Sparrow savvy!

This chapter is written especially for you....

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Chapter 20

Briseis and Patroclus left the tunnel at last. Briseis was sure that it was a great relief for Patroclus, who was now having lots of bruises on his forehead.

They reached the camp of the Myrmidons at last, and the sun was nearly set. Achilles was nowhere to be seen. After Patroclus left for his own tent to pack his things, Briseis walked alone in the camp, which was once a beautiful beach, to find Achilles.

Briseis removed her sandals. It was the last day she could feel the sand after all, and she was trying memorizing the feeling of her feet stepping on the soft and smooth sand of the beach of Troy. The sand was still warm from the afternoon sun. She sniffed in the air, and found herself thinking of her old days with her cousins again. The slightly salty scent of the sea water, being brought to her nostrils by the gentle sea breeze. The scent might be very different in Phthia. It might be good, but it must be different...

A hand landed on her right shoulder, causing Briseis to jump. The hand was gentle, warm, yet massive. Briseis realized without a doubt, that it was Achilles' hand.

'What takes you so long? You should know that Gods are impatient, so as demigods; they hate to be kept waiting.' Achilles asked, turning Briseis to face him. He lifted Briseis' face up, and kissed her softly.

'The passageway that leads to the palace took us hours to reach our destiny,' Briseis said, a bit breathless after the kiss.

Achilles smiled at his lover. It seemed like Briseis was a bit different. 'Did you bring the girl back?'

Briseis frowned, but smiled at the same time. 'No... I don't think uncle Chryses would be delighted to know that his daughter was gone together with her niece.'

Eudorus approached them. 'It's time to go, my lord.' He looked from the black sail of the Myrmidon's ship over to the horizon. 'The sun was completely set, and the west wind is blowing.' Eudorus added.

Achilles nodded, and took Briseis' hand in his own. Their fingers entwined, and the two embarked the ship.

The ship left silently in the midnight, and no Greeks noticed.

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Meanwhile, Hector was in his bedroom, Andromache sitting on the bed, getting ready to sleep, and Astyanax in his cradle, sleeping soundlessly.

'Hector, what is it? Something is troubling you since Briseis' visit.' Andromache asked, a bit worried by her husband. Hector had been looking out of the window since Briseis had come to bid them farewell. She knew Hector was not pleased with the departure of Briseis; and she knew better than anyone that Hector was quite furious about Briseis giving herself to the Trojan murderer, although he was not showing any opposition towards the matter. After Chryses told them that Briseis was in love, Andromache had tried to explain to Hector a few times that one could never control love. But Hector had been too stubborn to listen.

Andromache had thought Hector would realize it soon, and forgot about it, but Hector was still a bit mad. It was not like Andromache herself supported Briseis completely, but as she had said, love could not be forced, so as indifference. Briseis was dear to her, and she did not want her lovely cousin-in-law to leave too. Briseis had always helped her and talked to her when she was bored or left alone.

Andromache would have thought for a long time, if Hector had not disturbed her with his reply, 'I don't know. Briseis has so many choices, and I still can't believe that she decided to leave us for that Greek warrior-'

'Achilles,' Andromache corrected the man.

'Yes, I can't believe it.' Hector paused for a moment, letting his wife to know (again) that he was still against the idea of Briseis leaving Troy. 'But just now, when Briseis visited us, I see that she has changed. There was a glint in her eyes that told me she is happy with the man.' Hector frowned again at the thought of his warm, loving, caring, breathtakingly beautiful, gentle, cousin falling in love with a cold-blooded man that killed without a blink. 'Behind that glint of happiness, I realized some other thing. Trust. The warrior let Briseis come to visit us before they leave. He trusted Briseis. He trusted her of not escaping back to us.' Hector said thoughtfully, not knowing that Patroclus had come with Briseis too, only he was with Chryseis.

Hector sighed deeply, 'Maybe he loved our cousin back too. Maybe he wasn't a cruel, pitiless, callous, merciless, unsympathetic, hardhearted man after all.' Andromache frowned a bit. Maybe her husband had said too much to describe Briseis' lover... Briseis would not love someone without a heart, and she knew it. Her husband had been wrong about that Achilles.

Andromache had thought of pointing out to Hector that when he was on the battlefield, he also killed his foes mercilessly, but she pushed that certain thought aside.

Hector said, 'I feel so confused. Should I feel happy for our cousin, finding his man, or frowning over her being in love with an unfeeling man? Or should I mourn for her leaving?'

Andromache shook her head and smiled. Men were so simple-minded, so was her husband. They all became do dumb and useless when it came to things like relationships. They only understood war and battles...

'You don't need to be confused. Just hope for the girl the best.' Andromache said, and blew out the candle. She laid down on the bed to sleep, but Hector did not join her. He was still looking out of the window. 'Hope for her the best...' she heard Hector muttered.

'I've been looking out of the window since Briseis had left the palace.' Hector said, drawing his wife's attention, and Andromache opened her eyes. 'The beach we used to play in is a lot different from the happy old days.'

Andromache closed her eyes. Hector started to think of his old days again, and it made her remember of her own too. She was born in Lyrnessus, a city near to the woods behind Troy. In the palace, she had no companion, her sisters and brothers were older than her, and some were already married. She looked back into her childhood. It would have been a very tedious and uninteresting one, had it not been Oenone to talk to. She had discovered that wood nymph one day when she was adventuring the woods, trying to find some amusement.

_Oenone had always been kind to her, although Andromache detected there was something making her friend sad. After she was married to Hector, she found out that Hector and Briseis was also friends of Oenone. Her marriage was very important to her. It was what turned her dull and dreary life into a colorful and interesting one._

_Hector was already a sophisticated young man when they first met. A few times he had come to Lyrnessus to discuss matters with her father about allying. She had not seen the young man, but only heard of his arrival. Her father did not allow her to meet his guests, as he was afraid his youngest daughter would ruin his conferences with other kings and princes._

_This day, her father did not allow her to go to visit Oenone when Hector came, as it was raining hardly, and it was dangerous to go out. So, displeased as she could be, Andromache roamed around the castle aimlessly, not knowing where to go, and what to do. She was bored without Oenone, and she wanted companion. It was when she was near to the guestrooms one of the doors opened. Out came the mannish and handsome Hector, and Andromache found herself staring at the prince of Troy, not knowing how to react._

_Of course, Hector felt someone looking at him. So he looked back, and found an attractive girl, very likely to be one of the king's daughters, staring at him like he was one of those hundred-handed Cyclopes._

_By the time he approached the girl, he was sure that the girl was one of the king's daughters, judging by her dress. Suddenly he realized that he had seen her peeping from behind one of the doors in the assembly hall when the king and he were talking._

_Andromache was asked her name by the prince gently, as though she would run away like a prey escaping from its hunter if he spoke a bit louder.._

_'You are not happy, are you?' Andromache remembered the first words from the prince after he asked her name. Andromache was surprised. She did not expect Hector to know her emotions. Yet he knew what she had been thinking, and added, 'You are surprised by my question, are you not?'_

_Hector had hurried to the assembly hall to find her father after their first encounter. And Andromache just stood there, blushing._

_The next time when they met again, it was in the palace's gardens, and Hector had kissed her. Andromache would never forget how she had tossed and turned on her bed that night, thinking of that certain prince, and felt the sweet poison of love spread in her veins, confused, just hoping to hear him call her name again..._

'Andromache?' Hector said.

'Hmm?' Andromache asked dreamily, still drowned in her own thoughts.

'They are leaving.' Hector said, and Andromache found out that it was not Hector in the old days talking. He was indeed, talking to her now.

Andromache hurried towards the window, and looked. 'Is it that ship?' She pointed towards the Myrmidon's ship.

'I think so.' Hector said putting an arm around his wife, and kissed her temple softly. 'The black sail before Troy.'

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I think maybe you'll like some Hector/Andromache...

The story will focus back on Briseis and Achilles the next chapter.

Review! Thanks!


	21. Seashell Necklace

Hey! Thanks so much for the reviews!

* * *

Chapter 21

Briseis looked at Troy. It was growing smaller and smaller, and disappear eventually, as the ship sailed nearer and nearer to Phthia. _Troy will be in my heart, always._

She was on the upper deck, and the sky was still dark. It was a few hours after they had started the sail, and Briseis knew very soon the bright and glistening stars would fade into the rising sun. Troy had also faded into the horizon, so there was on point to be gazing towards the direction. Briseis knew it, but she was still looking for the city with her hazel brown eyes desperately, hoping to catch a last glimpse of it.

_The more important your past is to you, the more you want to hold onto it. But what is gone was gone. The quicker you let go of the past, the sooner you'll find happiness._

She had thought Andromache's words never came to her use when she was still living in Thebe. But now, the words might be the guidelines for her, something she could cling onto and live with it. Her past was important to her, and undoubtedly, she would never want to let go of it. But after she moved beyond it, she would be finding new happiness in Phthia. She must always remember that Achilles loved her. She could not ask for more.

'Briseis,' Achilles was next to her, watching her thinking all the time. Briseis turned and found her vision of Achilles blurry. She had not known it, but her eyes had welled up again, and her misery had brought Achilles' pain too. Briseis blinked away the tears, and tiptoed to kiss his cheek. 'I'm fine.' She said softly, not wanting to break the silence of the peaceful night.

'Would you like to go down?' Achilles asked, hugging her to him. 'It's getting cold in here. I'm afraid that you may catch a cold or something.'

Briseis smiled. This was the caring side of the deadly warrior. His love and care for her was what made her love him. No one would know that the great Achilles, well-built and tough, could be so gentle to a woman. 'I'm stronger than you think I am.' Briseis replied, but headed for the lower deck anyway.

'Briseis,' Achilles said, and his words held her back. His voice was the same, deep and mature. But this time, there were some differences. His voice always contained a hint of banter when he spoke to her, but it was missing. Briseis stopped abruptly, he sounded so serious, and it worried her a bit. Briseis did not move, but just stood there, pondering over what to do. Should her put on a cheerful smile, and bounce back to him, asking what is he wanting to tell her? Or should she just turn to look at him? Achilles had exempted her from doing any of those she had been thinking of, because he had walked over to her.

He noticed her uneasiness, but he said nothing. Taking her hand, he led her to where she had been standing again, to the spot which she was looking at the direction of Troy.

Achilles smiled at Briseis, lifting her worries. 'Have you heard of Hephaestus?' he asked.

'Of course I have. He is the smith god, the great artificer, the lord of mechanics. He is son of Zeus and Hera, and had been hurled off Olympus once he was born. For a night and a day he fell, and his legs were broken when he hit the edge of the sea, am I right?'

Achilles nodded, and said, 'Have anyone told you who save him?'

'I've heard from the priests that Hera looked down from mount Olympus and found him making beautiful ornaments with seashell, so she brought him back.' Briseis answered.

To her surprise, Achilles shook his head. 'These were only stories and rumors. My mother knows him.' He said, and grinned at Briseis' bewilderment. 'After he fell, he was swept away by the tide into the sea. He sank. But he was fortunate that my young and playful mother caught him. She did not know what to do with him, so she kept him in her cave.' Briseis eyes widened with disbelieve when Achilles paused for a moment to think of how to present his version of the story. The god was so misfortunate!

Achilles tugged Briseis' soft curls behind her ears, and continued, 'She gave him some shells and pebbles to play. And she was amazed at the way the crippled child worked the shells and pebbles into fine and dainty jewelry.' Achilles paused again, looking into the watery brown orbs of Briseis. To him, her eyes were the finest jewels in the world. He laughed at himself, and reminded himself to continue the story, as Briseis seemed to be very anxious to know what was coming next, 'One day she appeared at a great festival of gods wearing a necklace he had made. Hera noticed the ornament, and asked how she had come by it. So my mother told her about the child, and Hera divined that it was her own son, and demanded him back.'

Briseis looked pitiful, as though she thought she was the misfortunate god herself. For a moment she thought about it, letting the story sank into her heart. After this, she looked into Achilles' clear blue eyes, and asked him, 'why are you telling me this story?'

'The story hasn't end.' Achilles said, and grinned, 'before he left my mother, he taught her something, in return for her care for him. He taught her how to make beautiful seashell necklaces.' Achilles said, and reached for his pocket. Out of it he pulled a necklace, made of pearly white seashells. The seashells gleamed and glistened in the moonlight as the young man held it in front of Briseis, who was gaping at the beauty of the necklace itself.

'It's beautiful,' Briseis managed to breathe out.

'It's for you,' Achilles smiled and said. 'I promise you now, to love you forever. This necklace symbolizes my oath.'

Briseis gazed at Achilles. To her, the world around her seemed oblivious to her. All she knew was the man she loved promised to love her back for her whole life, and she could hardly believe it. Briseis could not help, but smile so widely that a light of brightness reached her eyes and the sweet dimples that appeared less these days crept up onto her lovely cheeks again. That was already enough for Achilles to know her acceptance. He gently caressed her face, 'Here, let me put it on for you.'

Briseis stood in front of him, and he brushed her soft and silky curls away, revealing the ivory skin beneath them. Stealthily, he inhaled the scent of her hair, which smelled of jasmines and lilies, and did the clasp. There was a sort of awkward silence between them for a while as they were both savoring the one romantic moment in their lives. They had stood there, like that, for nearly ten minutes until Achilles pulled the girl he loved into a passionate kiss. He held her in his arms, and she was small and tiny to him. Achilles tried not to hold her too tight, as though he would break the delicate form of her easily. Well, it was hard not to. Their kiss was so fervent that Briseis had to moan when Achilles had bit her lip accidentally.

Achilles heard Briseis moaned, and let go of her. 'Let's go inside. It's getting cold out here.'

So eight days had passed quickly, and the two lovebirds spent the days happily, talking with the crew and Patroclus. And at last, they arrived in the shore of Phthia.

Briseis had been right; it was very different of Phthia to Troy. Phthia was very noisy and crowded, while Troy had always been peaceful and quiet, and the people would talking quietly instead of shouting and yelling prices to each other in the markets.

Briseis ascended the chariot, and Achilles put an arm around her waist, preventing her to fall. Briseis had a motive to tell Achilles that she knew how to drive a chariot, but she liked the feeling of being protected, so she pushed the idea aside.

The palace was not far from the docks, so they arrived quite soon, after a few minutes. The palace was made of white marble, and it was not far from the cliff. Briseis enjoyed the scene when the shiny building materials of the palace reflected the sunlight. Briseis narrowed her eyes a bit, the sunlight was too bright. 'It's designed for making it more difficult for the enemies' archers to shoot.'

Briseis nodded as the large oak-wood gates opened for them to go in. There were statues in the courtyard, and there were flowers, lots of them.

'Come on. Let's get to our room.' Achilles said, looking at Briseis. 'I'll show you around.'

'But I haven't seen your father and mother!' Briseis nearly exclaimed.

Achilles smiled in amusement, and said, 'My mother is a sea nymph, and she lived in the sea. She comes to visit me sometimes, but she stays in the sea most of the time.'

'How about you father?' Briseis asked.

'He should be dead already. But my mother had brought him to the sea also, and that makes him immortal.' He whispered into Briseis' ears. 'Don't tell. It's a secret. No one knows about that.'

'You rule the country?' Briseis nearly exclaimed again.

Achilles nodded, and helped her down the chariot. 'Thank you.' Briseis said sweetly, and they both stared into each others' eyes. The gesture was seen often these days.

'Hey,' Patroclus cut in, 'Are you two lovebirds going to stare into each others' eyes forever, no rest and no meals?'

The couple separated, and Briseis smiled embarrassedly at her lover's cousin. It had been some time since she heard Patroclus joked. He had been unusually quiet these days. And Briseis knew Patroclus was sad, even though he was laughing together with Achilles now. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes that betrayed him to Briseis. She knew he had been thinking of Chryseis.

After lunch, Achilles showed Briseis around the palace, and Briseis had found the way easier to memorize than she had imagined. Achilles' (a.k.a Briseis') room was huge, and she found the bed was soft and comfy.

Briseis was in the palace for a couple of weeks, until something horrible happened that ruined the love of the two.

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Ha! Ha! I decided to end the chapter like this!

Please review. And I promise to update soon.

By the way, tankbbg, I cannot promise you that Patroclus and Chryseis will have a happy ending! :(

Anyway, if I finish this story, what do you think I should do? Should I write a sequel? Or should I start another completely different story? (but please relax, this story is having at least 30 chapters)

What are your opinions about it? Do tell.


	22. Punishment?

Thank you! Thank you for all those reviews!

Now here's chapter 22!!

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Chapter 22

This day, after Briseis and Achilles had had their lunch, Eudorus came into the dining hall. He bent down and whispered something into Achilles' ear, and Achilles frowned, and whispered back. Eudorus shook his head, and Briseis heard him whispering something like this into his lord's ears, '... not leave... see... I've told... would not leave...'

Briseis smiled, Achilles was having one of those kings and princes which were hard to handle. 'I'm going to the garden to talk to Patroclus, while you are going to deal with some troubles.' Briseis said mischievously, and walked out of the dining hall.

Briseis wondered if Patroclus was okay. He was very quiet these days, sitting in the gardens, gazing at the sky, and Briseis knew he needed someone to talk to. She knew the young boy would never find Achilles to talk, so she knew this job was going to be hers. And of course, she sat down next to him on the marble bench.

'How are you?' Briseis asked.

'Fine.' Patroclus answered shortly.

'I recon you are not having meals with us these days.' Briseis stated.

Patroclus remained silence. 'Do you miss her?' Briseis asked, already knew the answer. 'There is no need to lie.' She added.

'You already know the answer.' Patroclus said simply, still not looking at Briseis.

'We can go and visit her.' Briseis suggested.

'I want her to stay with me,' Patroclus informed.

'Love is always selfish,' Briseis told him. 'You can ask uncle Chryses' permission to wed her. You are a fine young man. I'm sure uncle Chryses would love your pairing.'

'When are you and Achilles going to marry?' Patroclus asked, changing the subject.

Briseis shook her head. Achilles had not asked her to marry him. But she expect his propose would come soon. At least he had promised her his love, and gave her the necklace she was wearing. She touched it slightly, and remembered the night he gave it to her.

'Hey,' Patroclus' voice broke her thoughts, 'I'm going hunting with a village boy called Phaidon. He is young, but he is good at it. Are you going to come?'

Briseis frowned. 'Do you think I would come?'

They laughed, and said goodbye. Briseis wondered if Achilles had dealt with that bothersome king or prince or envoy. But she knew Achilles would find her after that, and she decided to go out of the palace for a little walk. She passed the meeting hall, and she heard a woman's voice.

'You love me, don't you?' It was a very seductive voice. Briseis froze at its words.

'Deidamia, I-' Briseis recognized Achilles' voice.

'We'd spent the night together, and I've given birth to your son. His name is Neoptolemus.' The voice, which must belong to the girl named Deidamia, said.

'You love me, don't you?' Deidamia repeated.

'I find it hard to tell you, but-' Achilles said, and was cut off by Deidamia, 'that's enough.'

Briseis stood there silently, yet she was shaking in anger and disbelieve. _How could he-? _Briseis wanted to cry again. Oenone had been right. Men are unsettled and unfaithful. Tears started to well up in her attractive brown eyes, and they were threatening to fall. Briseis shut her eyes tightly. Achilles was not worth crying for.

She did not run out of the palace, but walked very calmly. Her eyes were emotionless, although her heart was crying for her to scream. She walked through the beautiful courtyard, out of the gates, through the woods to the cliff. It was beautiful out there; the sun was setting, making the area of seawater near the horizon reflecting blood red light. There were clouds, high up in the sky, they were grey. The scene was a contra. Briseis imagined that it was reflecting the mood of Achilles and herself. Achilles should be feeling gleeful by now, maybe he and the girl were in a bedroom... while she was here, standing near the cliff, her heart sinking forever, non-stop.

She knelt down on the edge of the cliff, and prayed:

_Oh, my mighty Apollo, is this my punishment? _

_Please, Aphrodite, god of love and beauty, end my agony, and make me forget about this man..._

But it seemed like Apollo had told Aphrodite not to grant her the wish. Briseis was still feeling very heavy with the pain and grief.

_Drip._

A drop of her own tears had fallen onto her lap, and she could not help but wept. She did not know how long she had sat there, but it had started to rain as soon as she had stopped crying.

It was raining very hard, and the ground was wet. Briseis felt quite uncomfortable sitting there. Maybe she should go back to the palace, maybe Achilles still loved her, and he was just playing with the princess Deidamia. So, she stood up weakly and decided to go back to the palace, and talked to Achilles about the matter before she made her decision.

However, Aphrodite decided to grant Briseis her wish at this moment.

Briseis stepped on a rock and slipped. Down the cliff she fell, yet she was fearless. Was there anything she will be afraid of? The last thing she heard was the loud 'splash' of the cool seawater when she hit the water surface.

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'You love me, don't you?' Achilles flinched a bit at the tone the woman in front of him was using. Briseis would never use such seductive, avaricious tone. The girl in front of him was one of those had slept with him long ago, and he had already forgotten about her. He did not even know who she was. Deidamia, she had told him her name.

'Deidamia, I-' Achilles tried to explain that he did not love her, and his heart belonged to another woman which was much more beautiful than she was.

But this Deidamia told him that she bore his child, 'We'd spent the night together, and I've given birth to your son. His name is Neoptolemus.'

So, he had a son. It was even harder for him to clean up the mess.

Achilles stared in horror at the girl's lips when the words came out from them again, 'You love me, don't you?'

'It's hard to tell you, but-' Achilles tried to explain again, but Deidamia cut him off, putting her hand on his lips to stop him talking. 'That's enough.'

Furiously, Achilles yanked her hand away, although he wanted to let the woman down kindly, he found that he could not. So, he exploded, 'Go away! I don't really care if I really gave you a son or not. If you like, I can give you gold to take care of the child. You can also send him here, for I can have someone to take care of him. How say?'

'But Achilles, I have given it up to you!' Deidamia said.

'Many have given it up to me.' Achilles said, fuming with annoyance and rage, 'I had also told you that I cannot promise you to be by you side always! I had asked if you are willing to give! The decision was up to you!' Achilles paused for a moment, catching his breath.

'Eudorus.'

Eudorus stepped forward, and opened the door. 'Lady, please.'

After the troublesome lady disappeared, Achilles strolled back to his room, hoping to find Briseis there and spend some time with his lover. He opened the oak wood door, but found that the room was empty. He shrugged a bit, and sat down on the bed._ Maybe she has gone out for a walk._

But it proved him wrong when Briseis did not appear in the dining hall at dinnertime. And Achilles started to worry. He called for Patroclus. After a few lines of conversation between the two cousins, Achilles worried even more. According to the time Patroclus left the palace, it was the time when he was talking to Deidamia...

_Maybe she heard something which she is not supposed to know._

'We are going to find her!' Achilles yelled out.

Patroclus stood there, puzzled by Achilles' acts,

'We're going to find your future cousin-in-law!' Achilles exclaimed, and brought some of the guards to find his lover.

They searched the woods thoroughly, but could not find the girl. There was a little farmhouse nearby, and Achilles knocked on the wooden door.

The door opened, and it was an old farmer answering.

'Have you seen a girl, with brown eyes and chestnut curls?'

'Ah, yes.' The farmer smiled and said. 'Extremely pretty, yes?'

Achilles nodded vigorously, and looked at the farmer eagerly.

'This way she went, towards the cliff. She is still there, as she has not walked back. I would have recognized her if she passed my house. It's hard for a girl like her go unnoticed by me and my wife.' The farmer said, delighted that the young prince had visited his house.

Achilles thanked him, and raced towards the cliff. He would not forgive himself if anything happened to Briseis. It was his old wanton deeds that caused the trouble after all.

And Achilles knew he had to blame himself forever when he found that there was no one on the cliff. The answer was clear: Briseis had left him forever.

* * *

Oh! Oh... So sad...

The following chapter may be a surprise to you!

So, review! Thanks.


	23. Friends from Eretria

Hi guys! Oh.. yes, nora17, what's happening is predictable.

See how much you've guessed is correct! ;)

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Chapter 23

Briseis heard it. The water was splashing! Yet it seemed so faint, so quiet...

Someone was wiping her face, the cool and damp washcloth made contact with her cheeks, and it caused her exhausted and weak eyelids to flutter open.

The vision was quite blurry, but Briseis knew that it was a girl.

'You're awake at last!' The girl exclaimed, and clapped her hands. Briseis focused a bit, and looked at the girl. She had untidy, yet straight red hair, and green eyes. She had freckles; they splattered on the bridge of her nose chaotically. Her face was a bit round. Briseis could not say the girl was pretty, but she was quite attractive in her own sort of way, which was quite odd.

The girl waved her hands in front of Briseis eyes, who was dazing a moment before. 'Hello!'

Briseis sat up a bit, and smiled at her. The girl said, 'My name is Cleo! I am the youngest princess of Eretria!' She paused for a moment, letting the information sank into Briseis heart. Briseis nodded at her, and Cleo continued, 'My brother, Acoetes, found you drifting in the seawater near the cliff of Phthia. Are you from Phthia? You are very beautiful.'

_Phthia? Why was I drifting in the seawater near the cliff of Phthia?_

'I am not from Phthia. I live in Troy.' Briseis answered, and smiled at the friendly girl. She was only about 14 years of age. Very young. 'My name is Briseis.'

'Briseis! Princess Briseis of Troy!' Cleo exclaimed.

'How do you know that I'm a princess?' Briseis asked curiously, and Cleo told her that she had heard of her.

'You are from Troy.' Cleo said, 'so why are you in Phthia?' she inquired.

Briseis frowned and shook her head. 'I have no idea. I should be in Troy, together with cousins Hector, Paris and Chryseis.' Briseis searched through her memories. She had been in the temple of Apollo, and was brought to a tent in the Greek's camp, and she slept... when she woke again, Cleo was already in front of her. 'This is a mystery,' Cleo said, feeling interested in Briseis' history.

'Why are you taking care of me?' Briseis asked out of the blue. 'Shouldn't it be your servants and maids taking care of me?'

'I like to take care of you myself. I have nothing to do.' Cleo said. Indeed, she was very young, and teenagers were always bored, even though they had their own companions. Andromache had once told her that she was very lonely when she was young, maybe this little princess was also lonely.

The door opened suddenly, and in walked a young man, about twenty years old. He had also, unruly red hair and green eyes. _This must be Cleo's brother,_ Briseis realized, as the man had the same eyes as Cleo's. But Cleo's brother seemed to be more attractive than Cleo was herself. He was quite attractive, and well built. _Very tall,_ Briseis thought, _as tall as... who? _Briseis did not remember someone as tall as this red haired man in front of her. Yet, just a few moments before, she seemed to have some idea...

'Brother!' Cleo exclaimed, 'The girl is awake! Her name is Briseis! Princess Briseis of Troy!' Cleo said excitedly. 'We have Princess Briseis here!'

'I can see for myself that the girl is awake.' The man said. It was very likely that he was Acoetes. He turned to Briseis, and asked her courteously, 'I am Acoetes. You are Briseis? Princess of Troy?'

'Yes,' Briseis replied.

'So why are you in Phthia? You are floating on the sea when I found you.' Acoetes asked, concerned.

Briseis shook her head again. Everything seemed so blurred... before she opened her eyes, she should be in the beach of Troy, which was now the Greek's camp. But why was she in Phthia?

'Please rest for some time.' Acoetes told her kindly. 'I would escort you back to Troy when you are fully recovered.'

Briseis thanked him, and Acoetes left the room. The moment the door closed, Cleo started questioning Briseis again. 'You will leave soon? I don't want you to. You can stay here and we can be friends!' Cleo suggested. 'I will not let you leave. Even if I have to kill again.'

_Kill again?_ Briseis asked silently. The girl did not seem to be kidding. She looked very serious.

'Friends don't need to stay together all the time,' Briseis explained, wanting the young girl to understand. 'They are in each other's heart.'

Cleo pouted. 'I don't see why you should go back. I want you to be with me. By the way, I believe my brother doesn't want you to leave.' She said convincingly, wanting to persuade Briseis to stay.

'Why do you say so? He seemed to be... quite repulsive towards me.' Briseis said.

Cleo opened her mouth and laughed out loud. She loomed towards Briseis, and whispered into her ear, 'perhaps you don't know. After my brother had saved you, and you were on the deck, he stared at you so hard that his eyes were popping out.' Cleo giggled, and continued, 'I was there, and I saw it myself. We were on our way back to Eretria, after the peace treaty with a city in Pelion.' She paused, and handed Briseis a cup of water. 'I was not permitted to go at first. But I killed some of the crew secretly, and sneaked into the ship, and revealed myself after the ship had sailed.' She giggled again. 'Am I clever?'

Briseis frowned at the young girl. 'Cleo, you are still very young. You should not kill anyone...' Cleo moped a bit, 'They got into my way.' She paused for a moment, looking at Briseis' reactions. Briseis just looked at her, so Cleo continued, 'Anyway. When we were back in the palace, I mean here, brother always comes into your bedroom to look after you. No! Not look after, but look at you.' Cleo said, proud of her own observation. 'He always comes to ask if you are awake or not. You have been sleeping for 4 days.'

'Oh... I've been like this for four days?' Briseis asked, surprised.

Cleo nodded, asked Briseis if she wanted to go for a walk or not. Of course, Briseis said yes. After all, she had not stretched for 4 days...

After two weeks, Briseis fully recovered. Acoetes did as he had promised, and escorted her back to Troy. Cleo had come along too. She had tried to use the trick she used last time, but was discovered by one of the crew. But after lots and lots of begging and crying, she was permitted to go with Acoetes.

Briseis started to like Acoetes. He was very kind to her. Very gentle. He cared for her a lot, and always asked her if she was feeling alright. He gave her gifts, such as bracelets and necklaces, but Briseis always refused. He had already saved her life, how could she accept his gifts? He would be a good husband, but Briseis would not marry. She was the priest of Apollo after all, and she had to keep her chastity to herself.

For 3 days they sailed, and they arrived at an island. The island was small, and according to Acoetes, it was a kingdom, ruled by one of his father's friends. And according to him, this kingdom was Chios. They would be staying in the palace of Chios for 5 days, to check the ship and to rest.

Briseis' room was on the west side of the palace, quite far from Acoetes and Cleo's ones, which were in the south wing.

They had been in the palace for 2 days, when something happened. Fate had decided for her, to meet her lover again.

..........................................

After Achilles went back to the palace, there was a envoy from some kingdom asked to see him, to discuss on matters of allying. Achilles was in a very bad mood, and threw a tantrum on that envoy, and forced him to leave. It was very hard to control his anger when he knew his only love had died.

He went back to his bedroom, and lay on the bed. The large bed seemed so empty without Briseis. He'd rather the girl leave him than dying, which would mean leaving him forever. He tried to control his tears, but the first time in his life since he remembered, he cried. He never cried, but he liked the feeling. It was like pouring out the pain and bitter in his heart. He had laid there like that for a moment, feeling a bit better, until he thought of his lover again. She was beautiful, attractive, cheerful, charming, gentle, kind... anything he could think of. She was perfect. Maybe she was too perfect for him. Pain and grief, which he had just poured out, came rushing back into his heart again when he thought of Briseis.

He had thought of going to Troy to find Briseis, but reality told him not to. It would only make him suffer the pain of loss of his lover even more, although he was already feeling woe and miserable._ I can go to war again, and gain I can gain my glory..._ Achilles had this idea, but it was nothing comparing to the love of Briseis. Going back to the Trojan War would also remind him of the girl, he had met her there after all. And he wanted to get over it as soon as possible.

He had searched the sea, and he did not find Briseis. He had already asked his mother Thetis and other sea nymphs to help, but they could not find her too.

13 days afterwards, the same envoy that he had forced out of his palace came back. He, bringing the message from a kingdom called Chios, declared war on Phthia. Achilles accepted the declaration, and he knew it was natural. He had insulted the country, and a war started, just like how the Trojan War had started when Paris brought Helen back to Troy.

So he led the Myrmidons to a war again, after a week, they started their sailing towards east, and arrived 5 days later, at the little island called Chios. He could fight again, now he had no worries about Briseis crying and mourning for his death in war or such...

* * *

Achilles is going to meet Briseis again!!! 

By the way, CaDedra... Yup, Deidamia was one of Achilles' lover in true life...

They were married, before Achilles left for the Trojan War, and they did have a son...

Anyway, Review! Thanks ;)


	24. Was it fate?

OH!!! Really thanks for the lovely reviews!!!!

I have never expected that they can ever reach 120!

Anyway, thanks! I will work harder on the story!

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Chapter 24

Achilles led the Myrmidons, and they ran towards the gates of Chios, leaving the beach behind them. The archers were high up the city walls, and were busy shooting arrows at them. But there were no injuries, as Achilles was using the same method he used in Troy to attack this city. Thinking of Troy, he thought of Briseis again. If only he could hold her again, could kiss her again...

'My Lord!' Eudorus shouted anxiously as an arrow was shooting towards Achilles' heel. Fortunately, Achilles was in time to dodge, and the arrow stuck into the sand. Achilles smiled gratefully at Eudorus. If there was no Eudorus alerting him, he would be dead. Achilles concentrated, trying not to think of his dead lover again. Achilles pulled out the arrow from the sand, and threw it towards one of the archers up on the city walls. It went right through his armor into his chest, and he disappeared from the sight of Achilles. The Myrmidons cheered, and ran towards the gate.

The Myrmidons battered down the gate of Chios opened easily, and they went straight towards the palace. Achilles, remembering the kindness of Briseis, told the Myrmidons to kill no one in the city except those in armors. Of course, the king must to be killed, and the royalties were to be captured.

Under the leading of their young prince, the Myrmidons entered the palace effortlessly.

Achilles went into the meeting hall, and found the king of the city. Achilles bowed at him, and said, 'I did not mean to assault your messenger that day. I had lost my lover, I was in misery.' Achilles paused for a moment, and looked at the king, with pain in his eyes. 'If you like to, you can submit to us, and I can spare your life.'

The king smiled and shook his head. He was a bit old, and he reminded Achilles of Briseis' uncle Chryses. 'I will not submit to a foreign ruler, and I understand that I am not going to live.' The old king pulled out his sword. 'I am old, and even if you spare my life, I cannot live long. I have no son, no brother, and my wife had died. I am lonely in this world, and I think it is time, to join my wife in Hades' world.'

Achilles was touched at the king's words. In his heart, Briseis was already his wife, and he vowed not to marry anyone except for Briseis. However, Briseis was dead. Well, he did have a son, but he would never consider giving his throne to Neoptolemus. Achilles had decided to let Patroclus rule his country when he died.

And indeed, Achilles felt very lonely living by himself without Briseis.

The king interrupted his thoughts, 'I have some guests in my place, and I hope you not to harm them. There is the prince and princess from Eretria, Acoetes and Cleo. There is also a friend of them, who looks like the goddess of beauty herself. I don't know who she is, but please, don't hurt her too.'

Achilles promised, and walked out of the hall. He did not want to see the king die.

He wanted to tell his Myrmidons not to raid the palace, but they had gone off to do so already. Therefore, he needed to search for the three guests himself. Achilles hated to do it, he wanted to leave as soon as possible, but he had promised the king not to harm them, and he was afraid that his Myrmidons would do so. He sulked, it was a large palace, and he had to search for the three guests himself.

He looked around, and decided to look from the west wing first.

He had kicked the doors of the west room over and over again, but most of them were the rooms of the maids and servants. When he realized that he had been so stupid all the time, he grabbed one of them and asked where the three guests were. The maid, shivering with fear, told him that one of them was living in the west wing, while the other two were staying in the south wing. He told the maid to lead the others to leave the palace as soon as possible, as he did not want his Myrmidons to harm them. They were innocent.

He came to the room that one of the guests were staying, and kicked opened the door.

The room was decorated with mostly white, and it was luxurious. The sunlight was streaming into the room through the window, and the sea breeze was blowing the see-through white curtains, and the room looked wonderful. Near the window which was located opposite to Achilles, there was a maiden, kneeling on the floor, her back to him. She seemed to be praying, and was oblivious to the occurrence of Achilles.

The first sight of her made Achilles thought of Briseis. The girl had chestnut brown curls, which tumbled down her shoulders. The gesture of her made him thought of the Briseis who prayed every morning near the window when she was still in Phthia.

'Hey, girl, come with me,' Achilles said, grabbing the girl's arm, 'you'll only be safe together with me.'

The girl yanked her arm away from Achilles, and looked at him with fear and rage in her eyes. Her orbs were hazel brown, and showed all of her emotions. Those were the eyes that Achilles could recognize without a doubt. That was the face Achilles had been thinking of all those days, in his bed at night, unable to sleep. That was the face that had haunted Achilles' thoughts when he was at the beach just now. That was the face of his lover, Briseis.

Achilles stared, and stared. He could not believe his eyes.

'Do you think I will be safe with you? You're the enemy!' Briseis yelled, like she did not even know Achilles.

He smirked, _If you like to act, I'm acting with you._

'No, you'll be safe in my bed...' He whispered into her ear, while drawing her near to him. To his surprise, there was only fear in his lover's eyes. The more astounding thing was Briseis screamed in panic and fright when he leaned down to kiss her.

Briseis pushed him away, and stepped back. Her actions angered him. She had led him into misery and hopelessness those days when she was not there, not caring that he was worried about her. And now, she still thought his punishments were not enough.

Burning with rage, Achilles pinned Briseis to the wall violently, and Briseis screamed again. 'Stop acting!' Achilles yelled, 'do you think that it is funny? Leading me into an insufferable agony?'

At the exact moment, the door was thrown opened and in stepped a girl with red hair. 'Briseis! Leave now! The army of Phthia had already...' The girl was panting hard, and she looked alarmed when she saw the position of Briseis. 'Briseis!' she yelled, and ran towards Achilles. The girl kicked and punched his back, but Achilles only remained there, looking down at the small girl. 'I'm going to kill you!' the girl said murderously.

'Who are you?' Achilles asked demandingly.

'Cleo, leave!' Briseis shouted, 'Leave before this man harm you!'

The girl, who was named Cleo, was screaming and crying, 'Let Briseis go! Let Briseis go! I will not let you harm her! I will not let you harm her!' Cleo kicked even harder. But Achilles only turned to look at her, his hands still holding Briseis. 'Are you Cleo?' he asked. But the girl did not answer him. Instead, she asked him to release Briseis again.

Achilles felt so confused. What was going on?

Someone stepped into the room again. This time, it was a man in the same age of Achilles himself and he had red hair. He looked a bit like the girl named Cleo. He must be the prince of Eretria, Acoetes.

Briseis proved him right as she shouted, 'Acoetes! Take Cleo and go! Now!'

When Acoetes saw the position of Achilles and Briseis, he looked alarmed. 'Release her.' Acoetes said, drawing out his sword.

'Leave!' Briseis yelled out painfully, her eyes welling up with tears.

'Do you think I will leave you to be the captive of this man?' Acoetes said, fuming as he glared at Achilles.

Achilles was jealous. Briseis was treating this unknown prince with kindness and care, while treating him, her lover, with indifference, unconcern and apathy. So he released his grip around her wrists and drew out his sword. 'You want to fight? I accept your challenge.'

'No! Briseis said, running towards Acoetes. 'You cannot win this fight. Take Cleo and go, now.' She whispered.

'How do you know?' the prince of Eretria asked quietly.

Briseis did not know how did she know it, but this man somehow seemed familiar. She seemed to remember a scene which this man was killing... 'I don't know.' Briseis said frankly, 'But I just know it.'

Acoetes frowned. 'Your words confused me. But if I cannot win this fight, at least I can hold him for a moment. You then take Cleo and go.'

'No, I can't.' Briseis said softly, reaching for Acoetes' hands. 'You have to take Cleo. She needs your protection. The palace is full of the enemies.'

About the conversation of the two, Achilles could not listen. But in his eyes, Briseis seemed to care for this man much. Anger boiled in him, and he bellowed, 'Are you going to fight?' Achilles knew it was not right to kill this man, as he had promised the king not to kill his guests. But Achilles could not hold his fury. Briseis treated Acoetes like he was her lover, and Achilles was very jealous.

Achilles held out his sword, ready to fight.

'Go!' Briseis cried, stepping in front of Acoetes as Achilles attacked. The sword slashed her left shoulder deeply, and Briseis screamed in pain. Her robe was stained with her blood immediately, and Briseis fell to the cold and well polished marble floor.

'Briseis!' The two men cried out at the same moment, and bent down to see if the delicate girl was alright.

'Go!' Briseis managed to bawl out, pushing Acoetes away. 'Cleo must be protected!'

So, having no alternative, Acoetes carried Cleo and ran out of the door. With a last look towards Briseis, he said, 'I will come back to save you!' Briseis felt relieved a bit, at least Cleo and Acoetes would be safe. She had grown care for the two these days, and she felt like they were a sister and brother to her in a different way.

Briseis felt so weak. Her strength and potency was draining from her as her blood flowed out from her wound. She felt the man shook her vigorously, yet trying-to-be gently.

'Briseis...' Achilles said softly. He would never believe that he had harmed his lover. Her usual flushed cheeks were now paler than ever, and she lay in his arms weakly. He was anxious and was panicking. He suddenly remembered that he knew something about healing. His teacher, the centaur Chiron (it was said that there would not be any medicine without him), had taught him how to mend wounds. But he had been so lazy and mischievous those days, and had not learned to do it thoroughly. But Achilles had no time to regret about it, as Briseis had already fainted.

Gently, he lifted the girl up, with her arm dangling loosely, and walked towards the bed, with her arm dangling loosely. He pulled her robe away and it revealed the wound.

It was very deep, and it appeared to be a big contra on her fair and creamy skin. Blood kept oozing out non-stop. Achilles mended the wound easily, using the bedclothes as a bandage. The blood stopped flowing out of her wound, and Achilles carried her back to his ship, leaving for Phthia at once.

* * *

Ooh... poor Achilles... He had suffered so much!

Okay, okay, I know it's a quite dramatic moment, about the scene of the two princes, but hey, it's how the way it goes...

There is something I have to explain:

When Achilles was a child, his father brought him to Chiron, the wise Centaur living in Mount Pelion, who educated him and fed him on the inwards of lions and wild swine, the marrows of bears, milk and honey. For the pious Centaur Chiron, who was not a drunkard like other Centaurs, and who never had used his weapons against a man, and who spent his Old Age learning about herbs and teaching to play the lyre to his pupils, Achilles proved to be a difficult task. For when the boy had for ever left his tender years behind him, he started wandering wherever he pleased, disobeying his teacher, and indulging in what he thought to be a good time, plundering the homes of neighboring Centaurs, stealing their cattle, and provoking a growing anger in the whole province. That is why, when Thetis, being afraid of what was being planned by fate and by Zeus who had issued his decree of war, came to Chiron to see his sweet darling son Achilles, the Centaur begged her to take him away.

Anyway, do you like the chapter?

Please review!


	25. A bit of Luck

Hello... thanks for the reviews and all...

Now, here's chapter 25..

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Chapter 25

Achilles boarded the ship, and asked the Myrmidons to start to sail back to Phthia.

He ran into his room, and put Briseis onto his bed. He observed his lover who was lying on his bed. The blood stain on her robe had started to dry; and her face started to flush a bit, and she looked more like herself. And Achilles knew, nothing was threatening the girl's life. And he felt relieved. The sunlight streamed into his room from the window, and Briseis' face seemed to gleam. She looked so much like a goddess, and no one would deny it. The king of Chios had also said so:_ There is also a friend of them, who looks like the goddess of beauty herself. I don't know who she is, but please, don't hurt her too._ Everyone loved Briseis; she was too sweet and kind to be hated by anyone.

Achilles thanked himself for keeping his promise to the king. If he had not tried to find the three guests of the king, he would never meet Briseis again. Actually, he was very grateful to himself. If he only he had found Briseis earlier, he would never let the king dies.

But now, he could never raise the king to life again.

He wondered who this Acoetes was. Briseis had treated him kindly, and he felt very bad about it. Briseis had even put her own hands on top of his when she was whispering to him! Once again, Achilles felt his blood boiled in his veins when he saw the vision again. It looked like that Briseis and he were a couple; and it made Achilles himself seemed to be the villain who separated the couple.

Was Briseis doing this because she wanted to make him jealous? Maybe. But it seemed to him that, Briseis would be willing to give up her life for that Acoetes!

The robe of hers was stained with dried blood, and Achilles thought it did not suit the girl anymore. He picked up a dress from the wardrobe. The dress was pure white, and it was the one Briseis always wore those days when she was in the palace of Phthia. It was her favorite. Achilles took it with him when he was going to the war, he had thought that it would be an encouragement for him. Slowly, he removed her blood-stained robe, and helped her to put on her favorite one.

Achilles looked back to Briseis again. She was still wearing the seashell necklace that he gave her as a gift of love._ She still loves me,_ Achilles thought. _She is probably only still angry with me..._

Briseis stirred a bit, and it caught the young man's attention. He looked at her as she opened her eyes a bit fuzzily, and started to focus at the world around her. She looked around the room, and was startled to find Achilles sitting right next to the large and comfortable bed. She sat up abruptly and backed away from him, fear and rage in her amazingly attractive eyes. She looked at herself, and back to Achilles, only to find that the man was holding the robe which she had been wearing when she was captured by the man.

'What have you done to me?' Briseis asked furiously. She was very alarmed, and was hoping that blond man had not...

'I thought your robe is too dirty, so I helped you to change it.' Achilles stated plainly.

'What?' Briseis nearly screeched. 'No man ever touched me, except for my cousins!' She swallowed, and she looked panicky and bewildered. 'You... have you looked at me? Disrobed?'

Achilles shrugged, 'What is it? It's not like I haven't seen it before.'

'But I'm the priestess of Apollo! How dare you...' Briseis panicked, not knowing if her god would forgive her. She had been unconscious after all. She looked back at Achilles. He was smiling at her. This man was very charming, and she could not deny it. With clear blue eyes like a pool of ice water, everyone could drown in them. But his charm would not make Briseis forgive him.

'Briseis? Are you alright?' Achilles asked gently.

_How does he know my name?_ Briseis did not respond. This man was her captor, yet he was treating her so gently and kindly, and Briseis found it quite hard to believe it. _Maybe he wants to..._ Briseis shuddered at the thought. She would be punished by Apollo severely if she submitted to this man.

He reached for her hands, and Briseis backed away. 'Don't touch me!' she reproached.

Achilles lost his temper at last, 'Briseis! Stop pretending! You're hurting my pride! I've already suffered, and stop making me feel like trash!'

'What am I pretending? I'm only protecting myself! I'd rather you kill me than rape me!' Briseis yelled.

Achilles fumed, and said, 'What? You consider those nights as I raping you? I can recall that you made love to me very willingly!'

_Smack!_

Briseis had slapped Achilles so hard that his cheek stung a bit. 'What are you-?'

'I never know you! Don't insult me! Do you think I will make love to you? You're evil! I hate you!' Briseis' words stung Achilles even harder than her slap. _I hate you!_ Those words rang through his mind over and over again.

'Fine,' Achilles retorted. 'Go on fuming over me until you feel right!' He stood up and left the room.

Briseis sat there, quivering with fury and rage. How could he assault her in this way? It was cruel. What did he want? She had nothing to give except...

_This man is lasciviou_s. Briseis decided.

She looked around, and knew that there was no way of escaping. She was in a ship, trapped in the sea... She hugged her legs to herself and started to cry.

For two days, Achilles and Briseis were having a heated argument: Achilles was accusing Briseis for still being angry with him, and pretending not to recognize him; while Briseis was still fuming over Achilles' words about her already his woman. Whenever Achilles tried to kiss her forcefully, she slapped him and turned away from him. She slept on the floor when Achilles climbed onto the bed. Briseis refused to talk to him. She did not understand most of his words anyway. He had always talked about the old days when they were together, but Briseis always yelled at him, and told him nothing had happened between the two before. Then Achilles would stomp out of the room furiously, slamming the door loudly with his powerful hands.

Achilles did not understand why Briseis refused to talk about the old times and always deny the history of them. He had no one to ask for advice, so, at the third day, he went to Patroclus for help at last. It was quite embarrassing, and he was unwilling to ask Patroclus for help. Patroclus was younger than he after all. It was even more embarrassing that Patroclus was a man... He wanted to talk to his mother, but he heard from the other Nereids that she had gone Aphrodite's place for a talk.

So he knocked at Patroclus' door reluctantly, and went in.

'How is she?' Achilles was greeted by these words the moment he stepped into Patroclus' room.

'She's still furious with me.' Achilles said emotionlessly. He had started to grow tired of the fight between Briseis and him. 'I don't really understand why she needs to pretend not to remember me.'

'I recon that you have treated her badly these days,' Patroclus said, trying to think of a conclusion. 'Maybe she is furious that you are treating her harshly. Next time you enter the room, talk to her as gentle as possible. Silent her with a passionate kiss, and I think everything will be okay...'

Achilles had wanted to point out the fact that Briseis was pushing him away every time he walked closer to her. But maybe if he treated her kindly, her anger would melt like ice in the sun...

.........................................

Briseis was getting better day by day. Her left arm was gaining strength every day, and she felt a lot better.

However, Briseis did not understand. For the first few days of haste and brutality and strangeness, her captor began to treat her very gently, and with great kindness. But Briseis still ignored him. She would toss her head, stamp her foot, and turn away from him whenever he talked to her. She would not speak to him; and even if she spoke, she would be telling him that she would never forgive him of taking of her robe without her permission, and she would hate him always. As she launched these tirades at him, he would stand and listen and frown with puzzlement, and keep listening until she flounced away. Then he would leave the room, shaking his head (and was going to find Patroclus for help).

Briseis would then sat on the bed again, and thought of what had happened in these few days in the ship. She would thought of how he had put his mighty arm around her stalk-slender waist, when they were having their argument on the first two days; she would remember when he had drank her screams with his own lips when they were in the palace, just before Cleo barged into the room and tried to attack Achilles.

She would wonder if Acoetes and Cleo were alright. She hoped they had made their way out of the palace without any harm. She did not want Acoetes to save her, as it would be dangerous for the prince of Eretria to do it, seeing that Achilles was always there.

On the fifth day, the ship arrived at Phthia, and on the way to the palace, Briseis found that this place seemed so familiar. Even the palace, she knew the corridors and the rooms. She could remember the names of the maids and servants easily, like she had seen them once already. She knew how to get to the garden by herself, and she always thought of Achilles' room as hers (she slept in Achilles' room when she still had her memories), although her room was next to his.

So she stayed there. Achilles was treating her like his guest, he gave her rubies and diamonds to play jacks with, and had beautiful dresses spun for her. And slowly, she found that Achilles was not as bad as she had thought after all.

At the same time, when Briseis was starting to treat Achilles in a more polite and mannered way, Achilles started to realized that all the time Briseis was not pretending that she had forgotten about him; his lover really had lost her memories. The way she looked at him was not the same, and he knew that Briseis could never hide her love for him, even when she had been angry with him.

Achilles had thought of ways of helping her to regain her memories again, but there was no solution.

But he would not give up. He still loved her with all his heart; and he would not give up on her. Even it meant that he had to woo her. Again.

* * *

Hey, how's that? I enjoy writing this chapter a lot. It flowed easily out from my keyboard...

Anyway, review!


	26. Love story or history?

Hi again! Here's chapter 26...

Hard to tell, but I've decided, the story will end soon!

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Chapter 26

It was a nice morning; the birds outside her window were chirping cheerfully.

It was three weeks since she arrived in Phthia, and Briseis woke up when the sunlight streamed right through the window onto her face. She opened her eyes hazily, and adapted to the strong sunlight. She walked towards the window, and looked out. The sun had already risen; and the sky was blue. _As blue as_... _Achilles' eyes_. Briseis thought silently. After the two weeks of seeing each other every day, Briseis started to like the man. He was very handsome, and sometimes Briseis found herself starring drowning into those soulful blue eyes. She liked the way he looked at her too. He seemed to be very caring. He treated her like Acoetes had, and he would tell her stories. Sometimes he told her stories about his mother Thetis and his father Peleus; sometimes about love, it was a very long story about two lovers in a great war, how they were separated by the king and such.

Briseis loved the story Achilles told her. The story somehow seemed so familiar, yet she could not recall anyone told her this story before. She remembered when she was sixteen, she always begged Andromache to tell her love stories: how Hector and she met; how did one feel when he or she was in love; or some great love stories in history. Briseis had heard lots of love stories, but this one seemed so real. She wondered if Achilles himself was involved... He eyes seemed to be so bitter, yet so sweet when he had told her the story.

Briseis walked back to the bed, and sat down on the edge. She ran her fingers through her tousled curls, untangling them.

'Achilles...' she said softly, feeling puzzled. He always smiled at her when they were talking, but his eyes always held a hint of sadness that Briseis could not understand. She remembered that he had always tried to kiss her in the first few days they met, when they were in his ship. But after they arrived, he had gone no further than touching her cheeks softly. _What changes him so much?_ Briseis questioned.

There was a knock on the door, and Briseis knew that it was Achilles immediately. 'Come in,' she said, and the door opened and poked in Achilles' head.

'You're combing your hair again,' he teased her. He remembered that he had promised himself to look at Briseis sitting on the edge of the bed combing her hair each morning, back when he was in Troy. Although Briseis lost her memories not, he still looked at her every morning, combing her soft silky curls that he loved to touch so much. For a few times he had dreamt of Briseis remembering their love again, but when he woke up and reality took over him, he would feel disappointed and crestfallen. However, having Briseis alive was far more better than knowing she was dead. Achilles could not ask for more by the time.

'I see you have washed your face again,' Briseis fought back. _Wait_..._ how do I know he always wash his face?_

Achilles frowned, not noticing the small detail. 'You always wash your face too.' He stated.

'But you're a man.' Briseis said.

'Men can wash their faces too,' Achilles said, and Briseis laughed while she threw a pillow at him. She caught him off guarded, and the pillow went flying straight onto his face. 'Are you asking for a fight?' he challenged, and threw the pillow back at Briseis. Briseis was readied for the attack, so she was able to catch the pillow.

A heated pillow fight started between the two at once. Achilles used the pillow like a sword, and he was controlling the whole situation. Briseis' pillow could only be used as a shield, but was still unable to protect herself from the attack of Achilles. Achilles was on the better position, and he was attacking excitedly, while Briseis was stepping back every time Achilles' sword came near.

He pushed her to the wall. 'Surrender?' he asked, grinning like mad.

'Never!' Briseis replied pouting.

'No?' Achilles asked again. 'No!' Briseis reassured, and regretted it when Achilles started to tickle her ribs.

'Ah!' Briseis gasped between her laughs. 'Stop! Stop! Stop!' she was shaking heavily with laughter, and Achilles enjoyed the joyful glint in her eyes. 'Please!' Briseis pleaded, and slid down onto the floor. But Achilles paid no heed to her pleading, and continued to tickle her mercilessly.

They had been like that for a few minutes, until Achilles stopped tickling and Briseis realized their uncomfortable position. He was on top of her, holding her down by her wrists, with his face an inch away from hers, so close he could feel her warm, sweet breath on his face. Both were breathing hard, and both weren't sure what to do. Briseis cast her eyes downward, still gasping for breath, and not looking at Achilles.

Slowly, Briseis met his eyes. He was holding her down by her wrists, gently but firmly so she could wriggle them, but not break free. His clear sapphire blue eyes were locked on her hazel brown ones, and she found she could not tear her eyes away from his. Achilles let go of her wrists, but before she could get away, he had interlocked his fingers with hers. Briseis did not know what was happening, and she did not even know what she was feeling. Part of her was terrified, and part of her was delighted.

Achilles leaned down a bit, intending to kiss her._ This is the perfect moment. She would not slap you or push you away_...Achilles encouraged himself.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and Achilles groaned inwardly._ How can this unknown person disturb this perfect moment?_ He thought furiously, while jumping off Briseis to open the door. It revealed the person he hated most at this moment: Patroclus.

'Oh! You are here!' Achilles' cousin said cheerfully, and glanced at the flushed Briseis. 'Your cheeks are beet red! Is there anything wrong?' he asked deliberately. Patroclus knew, at least, that something had happened. 'Anyway, there's some troublesome king again. He wants to see you.' Patroclus said, 'Eudorus is already there, trying to explain to him that you are still sleeping. But that king insists on seeing you...'

Achilles shrugged, and walked out of Briseis' room, leaving Briseis sitting there, cooling down herself and thought over what had just happened and what that queasy feeling in her stomach was.

'Hey, dearest cousin,' Patroclus followed his cousin, 'what have happened? You kissed her?'

Achilles stopped abruptly, causing Patroclus to bump into him. 'Hey! What is that?'

'Let me tell you,' Achilles said gloomily, holding a finger out, touching Patroclus' nose. 'I would have kissed her,' he huffed, while Patroclus looked puzzled. He inhaled, and continued, 'if only you have not knocked that stupid door.'

Realization dawned the young cousin of Achilles, and he apologized, 'Sorry, cousin. I didn't recon you were going to kiss the girl.'

'Yes! You didn't realize and you ruined the big chance!' Achilles yelled out to no one and put his hands over his head.

Achilles' sudden outburst stunned Patroclus, and he stood there blinking, while Achilles regained his composure again, and stepped into the hall to deal with the king of whatever country, which he had not even heard of.

At the same moment, Briseis was sitting on the floor, staring into thin air. She touched her face slowly. It was burning. Why? Because of Achilles? She did not know either. It seemed so familiar. The feeling seemed so familiar. It seemed to her that she had once seen the same man lying on top of her... But how could it be? Achilles had treated her politely since she started to stay in his place. She was quite sure that nothing like this had ever happened before. But if it had never happened before, what was this familiar feeling that she detected?

She would not love. She was the priestess of Apollo.

But secretly, though, so secretly that she did not even tell it to herself, she was rather enjoying that moment when Achilles had held her under him. Secretly she admired the lofty set of his muscular figure, his majestic shoulders, his great and impatient, yet gentle hands, his golden blond locks, and the most important of all, his clear blue eyes that seemed to look right through her soul.

Briseis shuddered a bit, remembering how he sent shivers down her spine when he leaned closer to her. She was reproaching herself of admiring the man, but she could not control her smile at the thought of the handsome young prince.

She went towards the window, looking out again. Perhaps looking at the scene outside would help a bit. Her thoughts drifted back to Acoetes and Cleo. She had seldom thought of them these few days. Achilles had occupied her mind much more that he had before. She wondered if they were back at their palace of Eretria. But if they were safe, why had not Acoetes come to find her? _I will come back to save you!_ She remembered Acoetes had said before he took Cleo and left. He had been looking at her anxiously, and she knew he cared for her a lot. _Maybe like bothers and sisters..._ Briseis thought silently. They, Acoetes and Cleo and she had grown close those days when she was staying in their place; and Briseis cared for them a lot. She just hoped that they were safe.

....................................

Her mind was so full these few days, thinking of Achilles, worrying about Acoetes and Cleo and such, and Briseis felt so confused and messed up. _Maybe it will be good to go out for a little walk..._

So, Briseis ent to the courtyard. She sat on a marble bench. It seemed so familiar...

A vision, she and Patroclus, sitting on the bench, talking, flashed through her mind. Briseis stood up abruptly: She had been here once!

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How's it? It's getting exciting!

Review!


	27. Rose without thorns

Hi! I can't believe I'm writing this much for the story!

Up till now, I still don't know when is my story going to end!

Oof, your chapter 27...

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Chapter 27

Was it a dream? No. It did not seem to be... It was real. Patroclus and she had talked before.

She must not say anything now. It was only a vision after all. It was impossible for her to talk to Patroclus before when she did not remember anything.

So Briseis remained silent for a few days. Achilles had returned normal, and was treating her with great kindness and friendliness.

Briseis was always in the courtyard these few days, thinking of her feelings towards Achilles. She suddenly remembered that Achilles had said that they had slept together before... Was Achilles her lover before? How come she knew nothing about it? No, it was impossible. She would never love him. She was Apollo's priestess. She would have controlled herself. But... it seemed so familiar. The feeling when Achilles was on top of her seemed so familiar to Briseis. Even his scent, his eyes... She seemed to have a very faint impression of them. Oh, and Eudorus. Briseis remembered his blue eyes and his grey hair too. His name had been ringing in her head when she saw him on the ship of Achilles, which had a black sail.

The black sail! Briseis remembered. Achilles must have been to Troy before. She recalled that she had seen a ship with black sail when she was in the temple. That one ship with the black sail had stood out from among all of the ships of Greece which had white sails.

Briseis turned sharply when she heard someone approached her. It was Achilles. The man she had been thinking of a lot these few days.

'Thinking of me?' Achilles asked teasingly.

'Will I be? No.' Briseis said, turning her back to him.

'Now, angry with me?' Achilles asked again.

Briseis pouted, and did not reply. Achilles was always teasing her these days, and she always did not know how to respond or where to look when Achilles had teased her flirtatiously. 'Why are you not talking to me?' Achilles said, pretending to look crestfallen, and he sat on the bench Briseis was sitting on. Briseis glanced sideways at him. Why was he here? Achilles was always busy with his political meetings and such. Why was he so free today? So, she asked what she wanted to ask, 'Why are you so free today? No troublesome kings? No Eudorus talking about policies? No Patroclus going out to hunt?'

To her surprise and astound, Achilles held out a single red rose.

He smiled at the dumbfounded girl. 'I'm free enough to give you this.'

_Oh... he is so engaging..._ Briseis thought sweetly, and accepted the gift. She tried to find a place to place her fingers on, as she knew that there must be thorns on the stem of the flower. But she could hold it anywhere she wanted to. There were no thorns on the stalk to prick her fingers. She gazed at the flower. It was so beautiful. The rose's bud was half opened, and it gave a lovely scent. She studied the stem and ran her fingers on it. It was smooth.

'It's beautiful!' Briseis exclaimed.

'The rose has no thorns.' Achilles informed, although he already knew that she had noticed.

_Rose represents love. There are thorns. Thorns are the flaws of the love and relationship between the couple._ Achilles' voice suddenly rang through Briseis mind. But somehow, she could not recall Achilles saying these words. But she was so sure that she had once heard it from Achilles... (Well, I haven't included this in the previous chapters... But I cannot include all their boring conversations, right? So, just let it be...)

'Do you like it?' Achilles asked, as Briseis had frowned. He was anxious to know if the girl liked the flower or not.

'I love it, thank you.' Briseis said smiling at Achilles, and kissed his cheek. She did not intend to do it, but she had acted by herself automatically, as though she had nothing to do with it. Briseis did not watch when Achilles' eyes were lit up in excitement and joyfulness; as she was too busy blushing with embarrassment. 'I... I didn't mean to-'

'To what?' Achilles asked, grinning like mad.

Briseis' savior, and Achilles' most hated person at this certain moment, Eudorus, decided to step into the embarrassing scene of Briseis at this moment. To Briseis' relief, Eudorus told Achilles that there was again, some troublesome prince. So Achilles rose and left Briseis alone in the courtyard again. Her face was still hot, but she could feel that it was cooling down rapidly. She sat there very still, feeling so confused again. Her heart had raced so much when she saw the rose. It was from Achilles. She could swear that it was the most romantic moment (she had forgotten the seashell necklace moment then...) in her life.

What did he mean giving her a rose without any thorns? She clearly remembered his philosophy about rose not having thorns, yet she could not recall him saying such things to her... But those words rang in her mind like a bell! Briseis held the rose tighter. He had cut the thorns off. What did that mean? She really wanted to know. Was he implying something? She was not sure about that.

_Well, don't think of the rose anymore, go back to your room and put it into a vase._ Briseis rose and headed back to her room. She found a white vase, and put the lovely flower into the vase, which was put on the table. She sat on a chair, and rested her head on her hands. She smiled at the fact that the gift was from Achilles. She admired the shape of the half opened flower, the slender and delicate stem without thorns, and crimson colour of the petals. At this moment, all her troubles: when was she going back to Troy; if Acoetes and Cleo were still alive; having a little crush on Achilles, which she should not, as (in her heart) she was still Apollo's priestess etc. were forgotten.

However, Briseis did not sit there for long, as she had just started to daze, Eudorus knocked the door, and Briseis came back to reality. She ran to open the door, and it revealed the smiling blue-eyed Greek. 'My Lady, someone wants to see you.'

'Who is that?' Briseis asked curiously. _Someone wants to see me?_

'In the courtyard,' Eudorus smiled lightly as he said. He did not tell her who that certain person was.

So Briseis stood up and went to the courtyard. She was quite eager to know who was that 'someone'. She knew only a few people in Phthia after all. _Not in the front courtyard..._ Briseis realized when she found that there was no one in the front courtyard. She would prefer to talk in the front courtyard. She loved the benches there. Achilles had given her the rose there too... She hurried to the back courtyard. There were more trees at the back, and it was darker, giving the girl a gloomier impression.

When she arrived, there was already a small and round tea table set under the shade of a large tree. Achilles was there, his face expressionless. There was also someone else, his back facing her.

'Acoetes!' Briseis cried out, delighted to see the prince of Eretria again. Just as we have estimated, Achilles' face darkened a bit.

'Briseis! You are alright!' Acoetes stood up, 'Has he hurt you?' he asked softly.

Briseis shook her head and said, 'He treated me with absolute kindness and caring.'

Acoetes looked at Briseis skeptically, 'Really?'

Briseis took a seat. 'True.'

'Where's Cleo?' Briseis asked, concerned about the little girl.

Acoetes chuckled, 'She was very fine, back at Eretria. She had begged to come with me. But this time, father forbad her to come. She had broken a vase from Troy, which is the only one in the world.'

'Oh.' Briseis said softly. Now, after this, the two gentlemen remained silence, and kept on shooting hostile glances at each other now and then. It was Briseis doing the talking the whole time, asking them about the relationship between the two nations, or talking about the differences between Phthia and Eretria, the different foods and tastes, or the weather, or the different habits, obviously oblivious to the antagonist between the two. She had been talking for a long time, until at last she noticed the awkwardness between Achilles and Acoetes. 'Why aren't you two talking?' she asked, and showed her displeasure by pouting her soft and kissable lips.

Both smiled kindly at her in response, and Briseis smiled back at them, all her discontentment forgotten. 'Hey, it's getting cold out here, maybe-'

The two men took off their cloaks at once, and both tried to wrap theirs around Briseis. Briseis, astounded by the two's actions, laughed at bit. 'No, thanks, you two will be cold also, maybe-'

'No!' Achilles and Acoetes said at the same time, and shot daggers with their eyes at each other.

Briseis stood up, and said, 'I'm going back to my room to get my cloak. You can talk for a moment yourself.' And she disappeared into the door. The two men turned their heads from Briseis to glare at each other once Briseis was out of sight. They had been like this for a moment, until Acoetes decided to break the silence.

'If you have hurt her-'

'I will never hurt her.' Achilles cut him off.

'How about the day when your sword had-' Acoetes reminded, but was cut off by Achilles again.

'That was an accident!' Achilles growled.

'You cannot keep her forever. You must send her back to Troy.' Acoetes said, changing the topic.

'Why? You're afraid that I will take her as my wife?' Achilles asked smugly, as if Briseis had already promised to marry him.

'She's not your property!' Acoetes yelled at Achilles, both men's faces were red with rage.

'She used to be my girl.' Achilles said quietly.

'What do you mean by this?' Acoetes heard Achilles words, and stood up furiously, overturning the table, his hand on the silver pommel of his sword. He was readied for a fight with Achilles for Briseis.

'You want to fight?' Achilles smirked, and stood up also, his hands also reaching for his sword.

Fortunately, Briseis appeared at this moment, wrapped in a pure white silk cloak, looking like a goddess. 'Stop!' Briseis screamed out, and ran towards them, drawing both of the men's attention. Achilles and Acoetes looked at Briseis. Her brows were furrowed, and she looked exasperated. 'What are you two doing? Fighting? For What?' She reprimanded. The two men panicked. They could not let Briseis know about it.

'We're just... practicing our swords.' Acoetes said, trying his best to lie.

'Yes!' Achilles nodded, 'I want to see how the Eretrians use their swords!'

'Oh...' Briseis said mildly, 'I thought you two were fighting... Sorry.' She smiled at them, and went back to her seat. However, the table was overturned. She looked at them again, but this time, suspiciously, and inquired, pointing at the table, 'What is this?'

'I accidentally knocked it over when I stood up.' Acoetes lied.

'And I told him not to rearrange it again,' Achilles added quickly. 'After all, I can call for the guards, right?' He smiled at Briseis, hoping she would buy the lie.

'You two seem so weird...' Briseis said doubtfully.

'Because I'm just so excited to see how Achilles uses his sword.' Acoetes said hurriedly.

Achilles nodded vigorously, 'So as I. I mean, Acoetes...'

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Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm dying! So hard to write!

Anyway, tell me about how you do you feel about this chapter.

Thanks a lot.

Hey, Review!

By the way, I'm starting to write another completely different story now...

I'll post it up soon, and please, support.

But don't worry, I'll still keep on updating this story too. =)

To **Trojans**: I think it's spelled Phthia... at least it's the spelling in the Iliad...

Bye!


	28. Tell her the truth?

Hello....Thanks for the reviews!

There's a new story of mine, please drop by too, if you have time....

The first thing to do now, is read....

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Chapter 28

Patroclus opened the door, and was quite stunned to see his cousin standing out there. Achilles looked His face was expressionless, but Patroclus knew that his cousin was worried, and he could sense that his cousin was also angry and troubled. Patroclus smiled. It must be about Briseis again.

'Hello, dear cousin,' Patroclus greeted, 'how fortunate to have you visiting me tonight, instead of chasing after that certain chestnut brown haired girl.'

'Help.' The word was simple, yet it revealed how helpless and disturbed Achilles was.

'What is it again this time?' Patroclus asked, like the same situation had happened many times already.

'This Acoetes, prince of Eretria,' Achilles said uneasily, stepping into Patroclus' room, 'he is after Briseis!'

Patroclus closed the door. He was trying so hard not to laugh. Achilles had found him every time he needed help on courting Briseis. He wondered how Achilles could rule Phthia so easily while he was so useless when it came to the woman his cousin loved so much. It was not like Achilles had never chased after a girl. Instead, Achilles was very experienced. He had had many lovers (so as he called) before, and Patroclus, comparing to Achilles, had very little experience about it. Chryseis was the first girl he had ever set his eyes on.

'So?' he asked.

'So?' Achilles asked him back. 'What am I going to do? Maybe tomorrow Briseis will follow this guy to his ship without a word and he would ship her away, and not letting me see her forever!' The words went straightly out of Achilles' mouth without a pause.

Patroclus could not bear it, he had been already shaking with trapped laughter when Achilles stepped into his room, and now, after he heard those ridiculous words from Achilles, he could not help but laugh.

'What are you laughing at?' Achilles asked, enraged.

Patroclus could not help himself, but he was laughing too hard that he could not stop. After a while, when Achilles had thought of what he had just said, he started to laugh too. He had been so foolish; Briseis would not leave him without saying goodbye. Briseis was too kind and gentle, or polite. She would not leave without a word of gratefulness after being a guest in someone's place so long.

When both had calmed down, Patroclus finally said, 'she likes you. I know it.'

'Like? What do you mean by like?' Achilles said, confused, 'Briseis likes everyone!'

'Have you given her the rose?' Patroclus asked. Last time, before Achilles gave Briseis the rose without the thorns, he had brought the rose to Patroclus first, just to ask if it was alright to give the girl the flower.

'Of course! Why would I be showing you that if I'm not going to give it her?' Achilles said rhetorically.

'I think she should, at least, have gotten a hint from it.' Patroclus said, 'Maybe she's now dazing at the flower dreamily in her room now.'

And indeed, Briseis was. And in fact, she had been staring at the flower since she entered her room after dinner with Achilles and Acoetes. She knew it herself; she had some, maybe a bit of romantic feelings towards the young prince of Phthia. She knew she should not, as she had devoted herself to the Sun God. But she could not help it. And the feeling towards Achilles was familiar, like she had experienced it before. But how could it be? She had never met Achilles before. Besides, she was sure that she had loathed Achilles with all her heart the first few days when she had met him.

She closed her eyes, and rested her head in her hands. She started to think of Achilles again. How could she resist him? His eyes were so engaging... They were so clear, and it seemed like they could suck in her soul, or made her drown into them. Briseis also loved the way he smiled at her. It made her feel so safe, so protected, and so special. The way he gave her the flower, she loved it too. She had even kissed his cheek...

Briseis wanted to scream out. She felt so overwhelmed. Her feelings were trapped inside her, screaming to come out: fear of breaking her vow towards Apollo; and the worry of her feelings towards Achilles was more than a little crush; or the dread of how would Achilles react when he found out her feelings towards him. Would he love her back, just as she loved him?

_No! It's not love! It's merely a crush!_ Briseis reminded herself, trying to control her own feelings.

Briseis suddenly wondered when Acoetes would be leaving... Maybe it would be good if she leave for home now... At least she would not break her vows towards Apollo. She could get over Achilles very soon (so as she believed).

Wearied, Briseis went for a bath in the bathroom in her room and drifted into a deep slumber once she lay on the bed. She started to dream of a certain blonde haired and blue eyed prince of Phthia...

_Briseis was holding a candlestick. In front of her was a large and chubby man dressed luxuriously._

_She did not know what she was doing, she was moving by herself. She gathered her strength and hit the man's head hardly; using the silver candlestick she was holding._

_A loud sound was produced, and the fat man lay on the wooden floor, completely knocked out._

_She looked at the other man lying beside that one she had just knocked out. It was Achilles! He smiled at her softly and weakly. Was he harmed? Briseis observed Achilles. There was a dagger in his heel, and blood was flooding out from the wound, staining the carpet._

_She ran towards him, and hugged him to her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes. Achilles reached for her face, and tried to wipe away her tears. But she closed her eyes and turned her head away. 'Why must you come to save me? You should have left with your Myrmidons...' Briseis said sorrowfully, and let her tears fell._

_Drip. There was one drop on Achilles' cheek. Achilles rested his head on her chest, and whispered, 'because, I love you.' _

_Briseis let another tear fell, and Achilles closed his eyes..._

'No!' Briseis screamed loudly, and opened her eyes. She was lying on the warm, soft bed, in a room in the palace of Phthia. Briseis sat up a bit, and panted. Was it a dream? Certainly. But it seemed so real, like it had happened before, and she had seen it with her eyes. Or, was it a forecast? That meant Achilles would die sooner or later!

_No! I cannot let him die!_ Briseis thought anxiously, and scrambled out of bed.

It was very late at night, and the moon was high. The moonlight danced on the carpeted bedroom, and, still in her nightgown, Briseis stepped onto it. She did not bother to change._ This may happen any moment... _

She exited her room, and knocked at the door of Achilles'. His room was next to hers, and she was relieved to see him alive, opening the door for her. She flew into his arms like a child and hugged him tightly and silently for a moment. Briseis looked at Achilles. He had wrapped himself in his blanket, and all the time, Briseis had rested her forehead on his bare chest. Briseis realized, so she blushed and looked away.

'I've just woken up by your screams.' Achilles said, grinning at her discomfort. 'Are you having a nightmare?'

Briseis nodded.

Achilles led her into his room and closed the door behind them. He sat on his bed, and gestured for her to do so too. Briseis sat down tentatively, feeling embarrassed. Achilles put an arm around her, and she looked at her lap. Her heart was racing fast, and she was sure that she was blushing. It was fortunate for her that Achilles could not see the color of her face in the moonlight. She swallowed hard, and was very aware that Achilles had only wrapped himself in a thin blanket.

'What is it about the dream?' Achilles said quietly. He enjoyed the physical contact between the two.

'I...' Briseis hesitated. Should she tell him? 'I dreamt of you... dying.'

'And what is that about my death?' Achilles said easily, trying to ease her uneasiness.

'There was a man, short and chubby... You were lying on the floor, a dagger in your heels... and then... I hit the man and ran towards you.' Briseis said in a merely audible volume. She paused for a moment, embarrassed by what coming next, 'Then I hugged you to me... and then you said...' She blushed furiously. 'You said you love me, and then you die.' She managed to babble out with both embarrassment and fear.

Achilles did not respond. He glanced at Briseis lightly, and inhaled. He felt contented. At least Briseis was remembering some of their past. However, she thought it was a dream. But why would she be so frightened? Did she care about him? Well, she cared about nearly everyone.

'So you're afraid that I'll die?' Achilles asked hesitantly.

'Yes,' Briseis replied softly. She was still looking at her lap, playing with her own fingers, 'I am afraid.'

'Would you like to stay here tonight? You're welcomed.' Achilles suggested.

Briseis blushed lightly again. It was not appropriate staying in a man's room, seeing that she was Apollo's priest. What would other people say? But the idea was quite tempting— she had affection for Achilles lately, and she always found him quite irresistible. She really wanted to know how it would feel like sleeping next to him in his bed... She also wanted to spend more time with this man too. He was too busy in the daytime. She wanted to know more about him, although deep in her heart, she already knew this man very well. She did not know how she was so acquainted with him, but somehow, she found she could understand him very much.

Her mind was debating, screaming for her not to stay, but at last she nodded. So Achilles made space for her in his bed, and he lay on the other side of his bed. Briseis suited herself too, and she closed her eyes. She heard Achilles turned, and she could feel him staring at her. So she opened her eyes, and met Achilles' sapphire ones. He reached out to touch her face. There was something in his eyes. Perhaps dilemma?

At last, Achilles opened his mouth to speak. Would Briseis accept it? He really wanted to tell her that what she had just dreamt of had happened before. But would Briseis even believe it? Maybe not. Maybe it would even ruin the only friendly relationship between them. Briseis might even be so afraid and embarrassed to speak to him again too. The risk was too big, and he could not take it. What could he say then? He had already opened his mouth to speak.

'You're beautiful.' He managed to think of it at once.

But Briseis already knew that it was not what he had wanted to say. Her words made Achilles nervous, 'Is that what you wanted to say?'

'I always wanted to tell you that.' Achilles smiled at her, trying to ease the tension between the both of them. Briseis nodded, but Achilles knew that he could not fool the girl. They stayed like that, staring at each other for a moment. Achilles hugged Briseis to him, playing with her hair. Briseis' face grew hot again. It was not only because of the heat from Achilles' chest. She was very aware that Achilles was not wearing anything. She should have pushed him away, but being in Achilles' arms felt so safe, so warm... How could she resist it?

'Now, I've to get some sleep, although you may not need to.' Achilles said as he closed his eyes. It had been long since he had held Briseis in his arms, her face on his chest, and he savoured the moment.

* * *

Like it or not, review.

Thanks a lot for the last chapter's.

Love you all.

Hey!_** Drop by my new story (It's called Forgiving Love!) when you've got time!**_


	29. Flashback

Oh....thanks... I've got lots of reviews for the last chapter...

Love you all!!

* * *

Chapter 29

After that night, Achilles and Briseis spent very little time together. Achilles was always involved in meetings and political matters, while Briseis spent most of her time in the courtyard, sitting on the same bench Achilles had given her the rose, thinking of the dream and the flashback of the conversation of Patroclus and her. Sometimes she would be dying to see Achilles, to talk to him, or just to hear his comforting (to her) voice. But part of her was afraid to see Achilles too. She felt uneasy about that night. Was there something between them? She found herself always wanted to ask Achilles this question. But what if Achilles said there was not? He would then know how she felt about him.

_Maybe if there isn't anything between us, I can go back to Troy, and forget about him..._ Briseis had once thought of it, but she still could not gather her courage to talk to Achilles.

This was what had been troubling her those few days. But when Acoetes came to talk to her (he was still staying there, to Achilles' dismay...), she would find herself engaged in those easy and humorous jokes of Acoetes, and she would laugh and clapped her hands. Sometimes, she would catch Acoetes staring at her in a very odd way, which she could not understand. Achilles sometimes would look at her that way too. _Why do men always look at me in this way?_ She would ask herself silently.

Sometimes, when Acoetes was not there, she would go to Patroclus. He was always free for a talk or such. She had asked him about the way Achilles and Acoetes looked at her. He would laugh and shrug, although Patroclus would always refuse to tell her what that was. Then they would talk about other things, and Patroclus once told Briseis about a girl he loved. But when Briseis asked him who the lucky girl was, Patroclus' eyes had looked so sad and he refused to talk about it.

Briseis did not know why, but she had always thought of the girl Patroclus loved was Chryseis. But she would laugh it off, and rationalize herself that Patroclus and Chryseis never met.

But the rationalization did not last long.

This day, after Briseis left Patroclus' room, she sat on the bench in the front courtyard again. She closed her eyes, and titled her head upwards, welcoming the warm sunlight on her face.

Even she closed her eyes; she could still see herself sitting on the bench. But there was someone else sitting next to her. It was Patroclus.

'_How are you?' Briseis asked._

'_Fine.' Patroclus answered shortly._

'_I recon you are not having meals with us these days.' Briseis stated._

_Patroclus remained silence. 'Do you miss Chryseis?' Briseis asked, already knew the answer. 'There is no need to lie.' She added._

'_You already know the answer.' Patroclus said simply, still not looking at Briseis._

'_We can go and visit her.' Briseis suggested. _

'_I want her to stay with me,' Patroclus informed._

'_Love is always selfish,' Briseis told him. 'You can ask uncle Chryses' permission to wed her. You are a fine young man. I'm sure uncle Chryses would love your pairing.' _

_What?_ Briseis opened her eyes, and stared next to her. She had intended to stare at Patroclus, but there was no one. Briseis gaped. It was a memory. She was so sure of it. But she did not even know that Patroclus had been in love with Chryseis! And what about that feeling of Patroclus had always been in love with Chryseis that she sensed before the flashback? This was the answer: Patroclus was in love with Chryseis from the start, and there was a part of her memories that was missing.

Briseis shut her eyes tight again, wanting to know more. But this was life. You could not get what you want when you were desperate.

So, there was no flashback.

She had been so mature in this memory. She seemed to be so sophisticated, so different from she was now. Why?

She suddenly thought of the dream... the dream of Achilles' death! It was not a dream... Briseis did not want to tell it to herself, but it was a memory. Was it the thing Achilles wanted to tell her that night when she was in his bed that the dream had happened before, and it was a memory of her? Had Achilles been her lover? Had Achilles once said that he loved her? But... how could it be? If she had been Achilles' lover, it would mean that she had already broken her vow to Apollo...

Briseis knew what she must do. She must go to either Patroclus or Achilles. She must ask them to tell her. She stood up, and suddenly felt so dizzy. The world in front of her eyes turned upside down, and she found it very hard to walk on the ground. It seemed to be throwing her to the ground, although she was already in someone's arms...

Achilles yawned loudly as he walked back to his room after that tedious meeting with the king of Anakharon. The king was a plain man. His eyebrows were black and heavy, his eyes were hot and fierce. He had got a funny long nose and big ears, and there was a scar running down from his left cheek to his chin, and he had big red ears and a long nose with a twisted tip. Achilles found it hard to concentrate when he was talking to him today. Eudorus helped him do most of the talking, and shot him alarming glances now and then.

He had been so involved in his own business those few days that he seldom saw Briseis. He missed her a lot, and the last time he saw her, it was from the window. He was looking down at the front courtyard, and found Briseis and that hateful prince of Eretria talking. Briseis had looked very happy as Achilles had recalled, she was clapping her hands at some silly jokes he had told her. Achilles did not go down to disturb their moment, but he just grinded his teeth and went away. He had had some important people to meet.

He decided to find Briseis. It had been a few days since they talked, and he really missed her sweet story-telling voice. He went to the room next to his, and knocked the door. There was no answer.

_She must not here... maybe she's in the courtyard._ Achilles always found the girl in the courtyard those days, just sitting on the same bench, sometimes looking up at the sky, sometimes dazing.

Achilles went to the courtyard, and he saw Briseis, walking towards him. She did not seem to feel well, she was walking unstably.

'Briseis?' Achilles asked, 'are you alright?'

She did not answer him, and started to fall. Achilles caught her in his arms, and sat on the grass. He studied her face. She did not seem to be sick, her lips looked soft and pink, and her cheeks did not seemed pale. He observed her closely, and found that her brows were furrowed, and she seemed to be very anxious and worried. Achilles wondered what had happened. Had she seen something scaring? What could be frightening in his palace? He could think of nothing. Had she seen his death again? But he had comforted her that night.

_Maybe she remembers. _

Achilles did not dare to hope for so much, so he decided maybe some of her memories came back to her. But what memory would cause her that worried? He recalled that most of their time spent together was happy. The most frightening memory, which Achilles was nearly killed by Agamemnon, she had remembered already. So what was that about?

Of course, Achilles knew nothing of Briseis' worry of breaking her vow to Apollo. So he lifted her up, and carried her back to her room. Briseis was so small and delicate in his arms, and he felt like he was holding a little girl. Briseis felt the warmth of his arms, and she came to. Realizing she was in his arms, Briseis kept her eyes shut, enjoying the feeling. She was afraid he would ask her to walk instead of carrying her. At this moment, the reason that had caused her fainted was forgotten.

Achilles pushed Briseis' bedroom door opened, and sat on the bed, not wanting to put the girl onto the bed. This was his chance: he could kiss her without her knowing. No one would see them, no one would tell the girl. He had been dying to do it since he had found her in the palace of Eretria. She would not slap him, or push him away like she had when they were in the ship after he had found her. He missed her soft, sweet lips so much. It had been a few months since his lips had met hers. Suddenly, her lips looked incredibly soft and lush, and he was feeling the strangest desire to kiss her. The desire was even greater than back when he was in Troy, when he was lying on top of her, and she was holding his dagger, the night he had saved her from Agamemnon's men.

When he could resist no more, he lowered his face until his lips touched hers. Briseis shut her eyes tight, and another vision appeared in her mind.

_It was a starry night. The wind was blowing, and Briseis had to tug her hair behind her ears now and then. She, together with Achilles, was standing on the deck of a ship. Briseis observed. It was a ship with a black sail. It was the ship of Achilles. _

_Achilles was standing in front if her, holding a seashell necklace. 'Here, let me put it on for you.'_

_He helped her to put on the necklace, and then they stared at each other. He was staring at her eyes intensely, and in his blue sapphire ones', held passion and love, also caring and obsession. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and drew her towards him. He titled her head up, and leaned down to kiss her..._

Achilles slowly withdrew the kiss, causing Briseis to come back to her senses. At this moment, all she could think of was the vision on the ship. She was so sure Achilles and she had been kissing. He had given her the necklace, and then he kissed her.

Briseis tried hard to search her mind, but her last vision was the kiss.

Achilles put her on the bed, and left the room quietly, leaving Briseis to her own confusion and puzzlement.

She remembered that she had fallen asleep, her hands tied to a post... then when she woke again, she was in the palace of Eretria already. Something had happened between the time after she had fallen asleep, and before she came to, in the palace of Eretria. She was so sure about that.

_Wait. What about the kiss that Achilles has just given to me?_

Briseis groaned, and covered her head with a pillow. She was already disturbed by the flashback of the ship, and now, Achilles' kiss had added another burden to her already hard-to-solve problems...

* * *

How was that? It's so hard to write...

I'll update as soon as possible, ok? I'll update Forgiving Love soon...

Just give me some time... it's just so hard to write


	30. Confused

Hi guys. Sorry for the late update. The Microsoft word in my computer had gone mad...

Well, now I'm at school, I hope I can manage to fix my computer soon.

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Chapter 30

Achilles went back to his room.

He felt puzzled and so troubled. Well, he did felt a bit better after the kiss, but it made him wanted Briseis to remember their past even more. But there was something worse: Briseis knew that he had kissed her.

After he had closed the door, he had stood there for a moment, still savoring the sweetness of the girl's lips. He had started to turn to walk back to his room, when suddenly he heard movements in Briseis' room: she was shifting on her bed. After that, he could swear that he had heard an unmistakable groan. The groan was from Briseis. He could recognize her voice easily. No one could ever pretend her lovely voice. This was the thing troubling him. How were Briseis' feelings about it? Why did she groan? Was she thinking that he was taking advantage of her?

_Oh no. Please, don't._ Achilles thought pleadingly to himself.

This was the thing that made him felt puzzled: If Briseis had been awaken all the time, why did she not push him away like she had did so just after he had found her? Why must Briseis pretend that she is unconscious?

Achilles sat on his bed slowly, obsessed in his own thoughts. He did not even notice when someone knocked the door. He would be killed easily if the person was his enemy. Fortunately, it was Eudorus. He entered his lord's room without his permission, as he knew that his lord was in there, so obsessed in his thinking. He saw Achilles entered the room, so there would be no mistake.

'My lord,' Eudorus said, and Achilles looked up from his hands. He had been staring at them for some time already. 'Prince Acoetes wants to see you.'

_Acoetes. _Achilles realized. _That insufferable Acoetes. _

'Where is he?' Achilles asked edgily.

'In the courtyard.' Eudorus informed. _Again. _Achilles added.

When Achilles arrived, Acoetes was there, waiting for him impatiently.

'You want to fight again?' Achilles asked.

'I won't fight with you. Briseis won't want me to do it.' Acoetes said.

'Then why do you want to see me?' Achilles inquired.

'I want to talk,' Acoetes said plainly, and Achilles snorted. Acoetes glared at him, but Achilles paid no heed to him. 'Go on, talk then.'

'I want to ask you something.'

'Then ask!' Achilles found himself starting to loose his temper. This man was wasting his time.

'What do you mean by Briseis used to be your property?'

Achilles thought for a moment, and he remembered. He had said that a few weeks before, in the same place. A fight had nearly started between them because of this 'she used to be.'

_Should I tell him? _Achilles asked himself. _Maybe he will give up Briseis if he knows._

'We were lovers.' He told Acoetes, and Acoetes' eyes widened. Achilles ignored the prince's reactions, and continued, 'We met in the Trojan War. She used to be a war-prize given to me by my Myrmidons.'

Acoetes shook his head in disbelieve. 'No. She is the princess of Troy, and the war is not over yet. How could she be captured?'

'She was the priestess of Apollo.'

'What do you mean by "was"?'

'She's my woman.' Achilles said simply.

'No. She would never-'

'She had given it up to me willingly, after I had saved her from the filthy hands of Agamemnon's men.' Achilles cut him off.

'But she did not even recognize you when you were in Chios!'

'It's obvious that she had lost her memories.'

Acoetes exhaled and looked up. It was hard to believe that the girl he had been chasing after for so long belonged to another man.

'Have you ever noticed the necklace she is wearing all the time?' Achilles asked calmly, and Acoetes closed his eyes and nodded.

'It was a gift from me.'

'Should I leave Phthia now?' Acoetes asked quietly.

'Briseis will be unhappy if she find out you have left without saying goodbye.' Achilles said sympathetically, suddenly feeling pitiful towards his rival.

'Why don't you tell me before?'

Achilles shrugged. He did not know how to answer the question. Without a word, he turned to walk away. Maybe it would be good to leave Acoetes alone to think for a moment.

That night was a very difficult night for everyone. Briseis lay very still on the bed, thinking of the vision which Achilles had gave her the necklace, and also troubled by the kiss Achilles had just given her that day; Achilles was puzzled by Briseis' not reacting to his kiss that day, and why was Briseis groaning after he had left her room; Acoetes felt a bit crestfallen. He also felt stupid. He still liked Briseis a lot, although he knew he should forget her, and leave her behind; as for Patroclus, he was thinking of his dearest Chryseis again.

At last, the sun rose and everyone woke up.

Briseis sat on her bed, combing her hair again. Achilles missed her hair combing, as he was busy preparing the departure of Acoetes. He wanted to do his best to compensate Acoetes of being so generous not to compete with him for Briseis.

When everything was ready, they went into Briseis' room. Briseis was sitting near the windowsill, caressing the seashell necklace. Her mind was so full at the moment. Everything around her was so confusing. She did not even know why she was staying in Achilles' place instead of going back to Troy. It was a very mad world.

'Briseis,' Acoetes said, and Briseis put down the seashell necklace that she had been studying. Achilles glanced at the necklace lying on the table, and left the room quietly.

'Acoetes?' Briseis said, Acoetes seldom entered her room.

He smiled at her, 'I'm leaving now.'

Briseis frowned, 'Now?' Acoetes nodded.

'Why didn't you tell me before?'

'I've just decided to leave last night. I'm afraid that you're already asleep.'

'You'll visit me, won't you?' Briseis said with a sniff.

'Of course.' Acoetes smiled bitterly. 'I will always love you as a sister.'

'You are always a brother to me...' Briseis said.

'I've to go.' Acoetes turned to walk away, leaving Briseis in her room.

Out of the room, Acoetes patted Achilles' shoulders, 'Good luck.'

'You also,' came the reply of Achilles.

With their last words, Acoetes sailed away. Briseis was looking out of the window in her bedroom. She could see clearly, towards the horizon, sailed a ship she was familiar with. She suddenly feel so tired, so tired. She was awaked for the whole night when she was in bed last night. She had tried so hard to remember more of her lost memories, trying to search for more memories she had with Achilles together. But she could remember nothing, except for the scene that Achilles had given her the necklace.

Briseis started to be afraid. Was the relationship they had before more than a kiss or a necklace? And how about the kiss he had given her yesterday? Did he still love her like he had before? Was he just playing with her? She had heard of his reputation before... She really wanted to find out how Achilles felt about her, also the relationship between them before. But what if Achilles told her that their relationship was more than kissing? She could not accept it. How could she have broken the vow she made? And she knew she could never bring herself to believe it...

Her eyes followed the ship of Eretria, until it reached the horizon and disappeared. She looked at the seashell necklace, it was gleaming under the sunlight, and just like it had in the moonlight like she had remembered. She reached for it, and held it to her chest. Suddenly, she remembered their conversation just before Achilles had helped her to put the necklace...

'_It's beautiful,' Briseis gasped at the necklace in front of her._

'_It's for you,' Achilles said with love in his blue eyes, 'I promise you now, to love you forever. This necklace symbolizes my oath.' He was smiling at her sweetly. The smile was so sweet that it made her insides melt. At that exact moment, she felt so lucky. She was so lucky to have a man like him to love her so much, to protect her. _

'_Here, let me put it on for you.' Achilles said._

Briseis gasped out, and covered her mouth with her hands. They had been lovers...

Briseis looked out of the window, and searched with her eyes desperately. She did not know what she was looking for, she just want to breathe. She had broken her vow to Apollo long before she knew. But why would she have forgotten about the relationship between them? She scanned the view briefly, and she spotted something that made her heart stopped beating.

The cliff!

Suddenly, the view of herself, falling down into the ocean from the cliff appeared in front of her eyes. Briseis screamed piercingly, and sat back on her chair. She suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. She felt like suffocating. Why was she falling down from the cliff? Was someone murdering her? Briseis shut her eyes, and put her hands over her ears, shutting out the world around her. Tears of fear and frustration streamed out of her eyes and fell rapidly onto her white dress, soaking them with tears.

'Briseis! Briseis!' Achilles was knocking the door, but Briseis was crying so hard that she could hear nothing. She felt so cold, just like she had felt when she was in the seawater before she fainted, and saved by Acoetes...

Achilles barged into the room and saw Briseis, curled up in a ball near the window, shaking vigorously, sobbing nonstop. He froze. Why was she crying? Not wanting Acoetes to go? He walked towards her, and wrapped her in his arms. Briseis looked up at him with her innocent brown eyes, which were now red with the crying. Her face was tear strained, and it hurt Achilles to look at his lover this way. He kissed her forehead gently, and encased her in his tight embrace, wanting to comfort the poor girl. To his surprised, Briseis hugged him back.

'Don't cry...' Achilles said, caressing Briseis' silky waves.

* * *

I think I should end my story in two chapters...

What's your response about that?


	31. To the Cliff

Glad to know you like my story!

Too sad, I've to end it soon. But I promise to make a sequel.

Just don't worry. :)

* * *

Chapter 31

Time passed quickly, Briseis and Achilles had stood there for a few hours already.

Briseis had calmed down a lot after Achilles had hugged her in his arms. She felt more peaceful and safer, and soon, the fear of her was forgotten. She had been hearing his heartbeat for a longtime, as her head had been resting on his chest. They had enjoyed the moment between them.

'Achilles...' Briseis suddenly said, her voice muffled in Achilles' chest. Achilles did not understand why Briseis was so frightened, but he was quite sure that it was something she had remembered. He knew she had calmed down, as her breath was a lot slower and steadier.

'Yes?' Achilles asked softly, as though he would frighten the girl again.

Briseis did not say anything. She had been itching to ask him about their relationship before she had lost her memories, but the words could not come out. How should she begin with? '_Were we lovers?' No... it is too blunt..._ Briseis sighed. It was too difficult to start._ No,_ she decided not to ask him. _At least not now... _Maybe she could remember more of it. Many of her memories had been coming back to her these few days, and maybe she could remember all of it very soon. Besides, she could ask him later if she could not remember.

So, as quietly as Achilles had been, she said, 'Thank you,' in a very grateful voice.

'Are you tired?'

Briseis nodded a bit, but they still stood there in each other's embrace. 'You must be,' Achilles said, smiling a bit although Briseis could not see his smile. He pulled away, and lifted Briseis up.

'Hey!' Briseis yelled, 'what are you doing?'

'I thought you are too tired to go to sleep.' Achilles said ingenuously while he was walking towards Briseis' bed. Briseis smiled and glanced upwards to look at Achilles. He looked downwards to her too, and their eyes met. He sat on her bed, but not putting her down. They were still looking at each other's eyes silently. 'Do you remember what we were doing yesterday when I was sitting here, you in my arms?' Achilles asked silently. He had been dying to ask Briseis this question. He smiled when a shade of crimson crept up to Briseis' fair cheeks.

Briseis blinked, and opened her mouth, 'I... I-' She stuttered.

He put her down onto her bed at last. 'Why were you pretending that you were asleep?' He inquired softly. Briseis could not speak._ How does he know?_ She stared at him with her huge watery eyes, unable to open her mouth.

After gaping at Achilles for a moment, Briseis gained back her senses and managed to babble out, 'I... was afraid that I don't know how...to respond...'

Achilles lay on the bed also. He looked at Briseis. She was still blushing deeply, and she had averted her eyes from him shyly. She looked so adorable and lovable. He reached out and brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face gently. 'Are you afraid of me?' he asked affably.

_'Are you afraid?' Achilles asked her._

_Briseis held her head high, and said, 'Should I be?'_

_Eudorus entered the tent at this moment, easing Briseis' nervous and bring the words, 'My lord, King Agamemnon is summoning you.'  
  
'He can wait.' Achilles stated plainly, 'You fought well today, Eudorus.' Briseis noticed that all the way he was talking, he still stared at her...  
  
Eudorus smiled kindly at Briseis, and with the last words of 'Thank you, my lord.' He left the tent.  
  
'Why are you here? I'm sure you are not coming for Helen the Fair Cheeks. You are not fighting for Agamemnon, the High King.'  
  
'What do men want? I'm sure you know.' Achilles said, suddenly looking upwards, 'I just want more....There is no need to be afraid as long as you stay in my tent, Briseis. You're the only Trojan that can hear me saying this.' With this he stood, grabbed his sword and headed for the entrance of the tent. But before he reached the flaps, he turned, and smiled faintly at Briseis. 'You have my word.'_

Briseis' eyes widened. She had been his captive before... 'Briseis?' Achilles asked again. Briseis shook her head vigorously.

'Can I ask you a question?' Briseis said timidly.

'Ask.'

'Were we lovers?' Briseis said looking up at Achilles, a bit worriedly, a bit expectantly.

'I think you know the answer.' Achilles said inaudibly.

So, it was like she had thought of... They had been lovers. Briseis wanted ask Achilles if there was anything more than kissing between the two, but she did not know how to start. What if there was not? What would Achilles thought of her then? Briseis hesitated.

'May I kiss you?' Achilles asked absentmindedly, drawing her attention away from the words that were threatening to come out of her mouth. He had leaned a bit closer, and Briseis could feel his breath on her face. What should she do? Surely she wanted to kiss him too. However, she had devoted herself to Apollo... but she had broken her oath long ago, so as she remembered. Achilles moved his face closer to hers ever so slowly, and she stopped breathing, scared and exhilarated to find out what he would do next. Their noses touched, and he nuzzled against her. Briseis closed her eyes slowly. She felt her heart beat so fast that she thought it would burst. At first all she could think about were his lips on hers. They were soft and capable, and for the first few moments she just lay there motionless and let him kiss her before she kissed back. Achilles' kiss was affectionate and gentle and not demanding.

Someone knocked the door when Achilles had just shifted on top of Briseis, wanting to deepen the kiss. They broke off abruptly, and Achilles went to open the door. It was Eudorus.

'Sorry, my lord,' Eudorus said quietly. He had been waiting for him outside the room for so some time already, but he could wait; however, the prince of Dodona was not a patient man. 'The prince of Dodona had been waiting for you.' Achilles frowned. He had just got Briseis into a kiss, and was disturbed already. It seemed like that every time when he had a chance to get close to Briseis, there were some kings or princes visiting him. He nodded to Eudorus. 'I will come very soon.'

He closed the door, and looked at Briseis. She laid there, her eyes staring at thin air. The dress that she was wearing suited her much, it was pure white, and it hugged her curves. Yet she looked so pure and innocent, and it seemed like that nothing could compare to her naivety. 'Briseis,' he said softly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful moment of her. She looked at him and smiled coyly. 'Can you meet me at the courtyard tonight?'

She nodded, and Achilles walked out to see the prince of Dodona, leaving Briseis laying there, drowned in her own thoughts.

The kiss made her felt so blissful. And now, even she had to accept the fact that she had not been faithful to Apollo, she wanted to stay with Achilles so much. She wanted to remember. She really wanted to know about the love between them before. She could not wait for the night coming; she would ask Achilles to tell her about their history. She closed her eyes, and ran through her mind, trying her best to remember something. Just a bit of something was enough. She just wanted to know more.

She was sure they had a much more romantic time before she lost her memories than she had had these few months. She wanted to remember something that could be more romantic than Achilles giving her the rose, or that pillow fight they had before. She wanted to find out more about their history, she wanted to know if the love story Achilles had told her was the love story between them.

_The cliff!_ She suddenly thought. One glance towards it had made her remember that she had fallen from the cliff. It might help a lot if she went to the cliff.

So Briseis jumped off from the bed, and grabbed her cloak. She was going to the cliff. Before she left, she glanced at the necklace on the table. She went back to grab it, and put it on. She walked through the corridors quietly, and into the courtyard. The flowers were blooming, and she enjoyed the scent of them. Before she exited the gates of the palace, she saw a bush of red rose. She leaned close to smell them, and to her surprise, found that one of them was missing. The stem had been cut off—by Achilles.

She jumped up a bit in amusement, and ran out of the gates. The rose bush had given her a great encouragement to find out their history herself instead of asking Achilles to tell her tonight.

* * *

Okay, okay. I know the chapter's short, but I can't think of anything to write.

I promise you a longer chapter next time.

Please, review!!!


	32. Briseis and Achilles

Chapter 32

Briseis walked out of the palace into the woods. The woods were like a maze, but somehow, Briseis found that the way towards the cliff was strangely familiar. There was a farmhouse nearby, and she recognized it. An old farmer was living there. And she remembered that day when she was walking towards the cliff, he waved at her

_Wait. That day when I was walking towards the cliff?_

That made Briseis wanted her memories to come back to her even more. She hurried towards the cliff. She wanted to remember the past by herself, and hoped that she did not need to ask Achilles about that tonight.

She came to the cliff at last. The sun had started to set, and the sea was beautiful. Briseis inhaled, and walked to the edge of the cliff. She sat down near the edge of it, and looked up at the sky. _There are clouds in the sky, will it rain soon? _

_Rain._

To her astound, there was a flashback:

_It was raining hard, and the ground was wet. Briseis was sitting on the edge of the cliff, her eyes red from the past hours of crying. She felt cold and uncomfortable sitting in the rain. 'Maybe I should go back to the palace,' she thought to herself, 'maybe Achilles still loves me; maybe he is just playing with Deidamia' _

_Briseis stood up weakly, and turned to walk back to the palace. Briseis stepped on a rock and slipped. Down the cliff she fell_

She was in the palace now, she was standing in front of the door of the meeting hall, and she could hear someone speaking

'_You love me, don't you?' It was a very seductive voice. Briseis froze at its words._

'_Deidamia, I-' Briseis recognized Achilles' voice._

'_We've spent the night together, and I've given birth to your son. His name is Neoptolemus.' The voice, which must belong to the girl named Deidamia, said._

'_You love me, don't you?' Deidamia repeated._

'_I find it hard to tell you, but-' Achilles said, and was cut off by Deidamia, 'that's enough.'_

_Briseis stood there silently, yet she was shaking in anger and disbelieve. 'How could he-?' Briseis wanted to cry again. Tears started to well up in her attractive brown eyes, and they were threatening to fall. Briseis shut her eyes tightly. _

_She did not run out of the palace, but walked very calmly. Her eyes were emotionless, although her heart was crying for her to scream. She walked through the beautiful courtyard, out of the gates, through the woods to the cliff. It was beautiful out there; the sun was setting, making the area of seawater near the horizon reflecting blood red light. There were clouds, high up in the sky, they were grey. The scene was a contra._

_She sat there, and prayed for a moment, after an hour or so, it started to rain heavily_

_Oh yes! Then I fell!_ Briseis remembered.

_I have to ask him about the Deidamia thing after I get backâ€ _Briseis thought.

What else? Briseis wanted to know more. Her thoughts drifted back to the time that she was capturedâ€ First, she was brought to Achilles' tent, and tied to a post. Thenâ€ Achilles entered, right? He cut her hand free, and they had had a conversation. Then he left the tent, and left her there. She also remembered that before he left, he smiled at her. _Then? _She asked herself, and searched her mind diligently.

She closed her eyes, trying hard to think. A cool breeze brushed past her, and she enjoyed the feeling very muchâ€ It was like the breeze they had in the beach of Troy

_A cool wind blew, and it brushed the gold locks of Achilles away from his eyes, and he held Briseis tighter. Though she had tuned her head towards his chest, she still glanced sideways at him, and stared into his crystal- clear blue eyes. Briseis shut her eyes and snuggled closer to his chest when she knew he started to bow his head a little bit to look at her. _

_He carried her into his tent, and he tried to clean her. But Briseis refused his attempt of doing it, so Achilles threw the washcloth at Briseis. It hit Briseis on her chest with a loud 'smack' and Briseis, irritated, threw it back at Achilles. He did not look at her, and drop the washcloth back into the basin. Briseis cleaned herself, and Achilles had offered her food too. They had talked for a moment, and Achilles blew off the candles to sleep. _

_Briseis, being as stupid as she could be, got off the bed and found a dagger on the floor. She picked it up, and loomed over him_

_I didn't try to kill him, did I?_ Briseis asked herself, and opened her eyes. Afraid that she could not remember what would be coming next, Briseis closed her eyes immediately.

'_Do it,' Achilles' voice ranged through Briseis' mind like a bell._

_Briseis gasped, and did not respond._

_Do it,' he repeated, opening his eyes and turned to look at her with his clear pale-blue eyes unhurriedly._

_Briseis hesitated, should she do it?_

'_Do you really think you can kill me?'_

'_Why aren't you afraid?' Briseis asked in a shaky breath which was merely audible._

'_Every man dies, there's no difference to me if I die now or I die fifty years later,' Achilles said straightforwardly. _

'_If I don't kill, you, others will die, my countrymen will die.' Briseis said reassuringly, more than to herself than to Achilles._

'_Many.' Achilles assured her._

_Briseis tightened her grip. 'I must kill you. For my countrymen; for my cousins; for my love and loyalty for my nation.' _

'_Then what is stopping you from doing it?' Again, Achilles was as calm and peaceful as before. _

_Achilles grabbed her wrists firmly, and repeated, 'What's stopping you?'_

_They kept staring into each other's eyes for a long time, and slowly, Achilles bent his head down to match his lips with hers. Briseis dropped the dagger, and Achilles deepened their kiss. Achilles disrobed her, and they made love_

Briseis gasped and opened her eyes abruptly; her inference had been right. Their relationship had been more than just kissing. No wonder that the feeling of Achilles lying on top of her seemed so familiar

She sat on the cliff very still, and every memory came back to her: How Chryseis was also captured; how Patroclus fell in love with her cousin; how she had promised Achilles to leave Troy; how she had thought Achilles loved her no more; how she was brought to Agamemnon again; how Achilles had risked his life to save her; how she had begged Oenone to save her lover; and how Patroclus and her had went back to Troy to see Chryseis and bid her kinsmen goodbyeâ€ It was like they had been locked in a drawer, and now, the drawer was opened, and she had found all the things that she had lost.

Briseis remembered the story that Achilles had told her. It was about two lovers who met in a war, and how they overcame the difficulties and mistrust between themâ€ It was the story of them! He wanted her to remember him desperately! Briseis smiled sweetly at Achilles' efforts on pleasing her in the past few months. He had been very sweet to her, and the most impressive thing was him giving her the rose. Well, the rose had withered long ago; but image of it still remained in her heart.

She looked at the sea, and found that the sun was nearly set. She stood up, contented, and started to walk back to the palace. She had to, at least, get ready for the date tonight

So she entered her room, and selected a pure white dress, which was Achilles' favorite. She went into the bathroom, took off her clothes and engrossed herself into a comfortable hot bathe. She looked around, and for the first time in these few weeks, noticed that it was a huge and luxurious bathroom. The bathtub which she was sitting in for the moment, was immersed in the white marble floor. But what had made it luxurious were the soft and light gauze curtains of the bath.

When Briseis finished her bath, she sat on the white marble floor, squeezing the excess amount of water from her silky hair. She started to sing a song that she had once heard Achilles singing to himself

Remember  
I will still be here  
As long as you hold me  
In your memory  
  
Remember  
When your dreams have ended  
Time can be transcended  
Just remember me  
  
I am the one star  
That keeps burning  
So brightly  
It is the last light  
To fade into the rising sun

Meanwhile, Achilles had just finished the mind-tiring and extremely long meeting with the prince of Dodona; and was walking back to his room. He must get himself ready for the date with Briseis. When he reached his room, he heard someone singing. Without thinking he knew who this person was. He did not go into his room, but instead, he headed for Briseis'.

Achilles did not knock the door, as he was afraid that it would disturb Briseis' singing. He had never heard her sang before, and her voice was lovely. He opened the door and entered.

There was no one in the room, and Achilles followed the music and went into the bathroom. Briseis was sitting there, as beautiful as she could be; now drying her hair, her body naked. Briseis was still immersed in her singing, and she did not notice the sudden enter of Achilles.

**  
**I am that one voice  
In the cold wind  
That whispers  
And if you listen  
You'll hear me call across the sky  
  
As long as I still can reach out  
And touch you  
That I will never die  
  
Remember  
I'll never leave you  
If you will only  
Remember me

Briseis stopped abruptly and turned sharply at Achilles when he stepped on the marble floor, producing a noise accidentally. Achilles flinched a bit, readied for Briseis' screech of shame and anger. He could remember how Briseis had reacted back when she found that he had changed her robe without her permission. He remembered how stinging Briseis' slap was. He waited for the high-pitched scream to come.

However, it did not.

Achilles opened his right eye slowly, then his left. Briseis was sitting on the floor, still looking at him. She squeezed some water from her chestnut brown hair, and continued to sing:

Remember  
I will still be here  
As long as you hold me  
In your memory  
  
Remember  
When your dreams have ended  
Time can be transcended  
I live forever  
Remember me  
Remember me  
Remember me

When she finished, she smiled sweetly at him. It was a smile so different from those she had smiled those few monthsâ€ but somehow, it seemed very familiar to Achilles. It was a smile he had longed to see so much in those few months. He froze. Where had she learned how to sing the song? It was a song her mother had always sung when he was small; and he had only sung once in the ship when he, together with Briseis, was sailing back to Phthia

_She remembers, _Achilles realized.

'Briseis' At that exact moment, it seemed to him that he started to float. His felt so light that he was walking towards Briseis unstably. He kneeled down, and looked straight at her in the eyes. Her eyes were, as usual, very beautiful. But they were different also. They held something Achilles had been dying to see in her eyes those few months. And he realized, without a doubt, that it was love. Undying love.

'Achilles,' Briseis responded to his call, and she smiled beautifully at him.

He leaned in to kiss her without asking her permission; because he knew he needed her permission to touch her, or to kiss her no more. And just as he had expected, she leaned in to meet his lips too. That split second when their lips met, there were no secrets, no uncertainty, no hesitant between them. There was only one thing: love and passion.

They did not know how long they had sat there, kissing. They need not care.

At the moment the pulled apart, they looked into each other's eyes. Their thoughts were the same: how their love had sprouted by Achilles' ship (which had brought him to Troy), with the black sail before Troy.

* * *

That's the ending! Is that acceptable?

I'm planning on writing a sequel. Do you think I should?

Anyway, please, review for this last chapter!

Thank you all! I love you!!!!! XD


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